London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Kensington 1913

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]

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Work of the Lady Sanitary Inspectors.—For the purpose of making inquiries, offering
assistance and giving advice, 617 first visits and 821 revisits were paid by the Lady Inspectors
to the homes of the consumptive persons who were notified to the Public Health Department
during the year. In addition, 80 visits were paid to the homes of persons who had died. For
the sake of brevity, the action taken during the year for the prevention of consumption may be
summarised in tabular form as follows:—
I.—The Number of Visits paid during the year.
a. First visits after notification 617
b. Subsequent visits 821
c. Visits after death 80
Total visits paid during the year 1,518
II.—Provision for Home Treatment.
Bedsteads and bedding lent 6
III.—Patients or Contacts sent to Hospitals or other Institutions.
a. To the Tuberculosis Dispensary 23
b. To the Brompton Hospital 2
c. To the Millfield Home, or Queen Mary's Hospital 12
d. To other hospitals or institutions 14
Total number sent to institutions 51
I V.—Disinfection after Death or Removal to Hospital.
Cases where bedding, etc., was disinfected by steam179
Number of rooms disinfected 234
Number of rooms stripped 28
V.—Children attending the elementary schools and notified to the
Medical Officer (Education), London County Council, as living
in contact with consumptive persons 391
VI.—Specimens of Sputum from suspects examined bacteriologically
by the Lister Institute at the expense of the Council 79
At the first visit a printed card of advice is left, and the particulars as to the history, home
surroundings and treatment obtained are subsequently entered on the case sheets containing the
notes of every patient notified. Second visits are paid with the object of obtaining for patients the
treatment they require, and of seeing that the advice given is carried out. 144 sputum cups have
been purchased by the Council during the year for the use of consumptives. The greater number
of these cups have been distributed at the Tuberculosis Dispensary; the remainder have been taken
to the homes of consumptive patients by the Lady Inspectors.
For the purpose of preventing the spread of infection in families, additional bedsteads with
bedding are provided by the Council free of charge, and offered to those who need them by the
Lady Inspectors. At the end of the year 13 of the Council's beds were in use. In the following
cases four new beds were supplied, and three returned beds were lent again to fresh patients after
disinfection:—
1. To S.G., an advanced case sleeping with her daughter.
2. To F.L., an advanced case sleeping with wife and child. Bed returned on removal of F.L.
to Home for dying.
3. To E.W., sleeping with husband and child.
4. To C.S., sleeping with husband and child.
5. To L.K., sleeping with husband and child.
6. To C.C., sleeping with wife and child.
7. To E.M., bedding only was lent to enable the family to use their second bedstead.
In one case the bedding and bedstead lent by the Council in 1912 have now been bought by
the parents of the patient.
The Tuberculosis Dispensary.—During the year 1913, 219 consumptive persons residing
in the Borough to the north of Kensington High Street received treatment at the Tuberculosis
Dispensary in the Talbot Road. The institution is 'under voluntary management, but the