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 1922
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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County Council of making the local Dispensaries, as far as possible, consultative centres rather
than treatment centres, but, on the other hand, any method which increases the supervision of
"suspects" or of "contacts" is of special service for the extremely important preventive side of
tuberculosis work, a side which must claim more and more attention if the best results are to be
obtained.
As the housing conditions form such an important element in connection with tuberculosis, the
following Table, giving the number of rooms occupied by the families of the definite cases and the
number of occupants, is inserted.
| Rooms. | No. of Occupants. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Cases. | |
| 1 | 5 | 6 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2 | — | 7 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 45 | |
| 3 | — | 3 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| 4 | — | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 24 | |
| 5 | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | |
| 6 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 3 |
| 7 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
| *119 | ||||||||||||
*The total falls short of the total number of cases owing to patients living in boarding houses, private hotels or
large private residences not being included.
Sleeping arrangements are of great importance and they are often unsatisfactory. The Women
Health Officers always enquire into this question and, where possible, desirable alterations are
pointed out and urged upon the family.
The provision by the Borough Council of beds to be loaned out in certain cases, is of great value
in helping to deal with this matter.
South Dispensary Area.
Under an agreement between the Borough Council and the Brompton Hospital authorities,
Dr. Burrell, one of the Visiting Physicians to the Hospital, acts as Tuberculosis Officer for South
Kensington and all patients residing in that portion of the Borough south of Kensington High
Street who are referred to the Tuberculosis Officer under the Tuberculosis Scheme are dealt with
by him. He sees the patients at 2.30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays of each week, a certain
portion of the out-patient department being reserved for South Kensington Dispensary purposes
on these two afternoons. One of the Assistant Lady Almoners is appointed Secretary to the
South Kensington Dispensary and devotes roughly one third of her time to the work of preparing
records, interviewing patients and visiting homes, the remaining two-thirds of her time
being devoted to her duties as Secretary of the Chelsea Tuberculosis Dispensary, which is stationed
at the Hospital. Chelsea cases are seen on different days and by a different Tubculosis Officer,
but in other respects, the Tuberculosis Dispensary arrangements for that Borough are similar to
those for South Kensington.
| Total | |
|---|---|
| (1) New cases | 248 |
| (2) New cases with pulmonary tuberculosis | 23 |
| (3) New cases suffering from non-pulmonary tuberculosis | 14 |
| (4) New cases doubtful | 49 |
| (5) Total attendances at the Dispensary | 1311 |
| (6) No. of attendances at which systematic physical examinations were made | 148 |
| (7) Visits to patients' homes by Tuberculosis Officer | 4 |
| (8) Visits to patients' homes by Dispensary Nurses | 604 |
| (9) No. of specimens of sputum examined | 64 |