London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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The parts of the body which were affected in each case are shown in the following Table : —
| Parts Affected. | Sex | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male. | Female. | ||
| Buccal Cavity, No. 39 | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| Stomach, Liver, etc., No. 40 | 40 | 30 | 70 |
| Peritoneum, Intestines, Rectum, No. 41 | 14 | 33 | 47 |
| Female Genital Organs, No. 42 | — | 29 | 29 |
| Breast, No. 43 | — | 46 | 46 |
| Skin, No. 44 | — | — | — |
| Other and unspecified Organs, No. 45 | 26 | 21 | 47 |
| Totals | 89 | 164 | 253 |
The numbers following the description of the parts affected refer to the classification of causes
of death adopted by the Registrar General for use in England and Wales.
The following bacteriological work has been carried out in the Lister Institute at the Council's expense, with a view to assisting medical practitioners in the diagnosis of infectious ailments: —
| Disease Suspected. | Number of Cases. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive. | Negative. | Total. | |||
| Diphtheria | 27 | 149 | 176 | ||
| Tuberculosis | 28 | 85 | 113 | ||
| Enteric Fever | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| Gonorrhœa | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| Total | 58 | 240 | 298 | ||
TREATMENT OF DISEASE.
Under Section 77 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, the Council may, with the sanction
of the Local Government Board, provide or contract with any person to provide a temporary supply
of medicines and medical assistance for the poorer inhabitants of their district. In pursuance of
these powers and the Board's Anti-toxin Order, diphtheria anti-toxin is supplied by the Council free
of charge, and a fee of 5s. is paid to any medical practitioner who administers the Council's antitoxin
to a poor person suffering or suspected to be suffering from diphtheria. Three patients
were treated at the Council's expense during the year. An Annual subscription of £5 5s.
is also paid by the Council to the Kensington District Nursing Association in recognition
of their services in rendering temporary medical assistance through their nurses to the sick poor,
and particularly to infants suffering from ophthalmia.
As a good deal of misapprehension exists in regard to the Council's powers to provide treatment,
it should be noted first that the above powers are permissive and not obligatory, secondly that
they can only be exercised with the sanction of the Board, and thirdly, that the assistance given can
only be temporary. There are no powers under which the Council can provide and pay for
permanent medical attendance upon poor patients in their homes, as for instance non-insured
consumptives who are too ill to attend a dispensary. Full provision can, however, be made for
such persons by the Guardians through the District Medical Officer in any case where the patient is
destitute in the sense that he cannot pay for the treatment his case requires.