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 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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84
The number ot patients on the Dispensary Register on December 31st, 1929, was 814, whilst
at the beginning of the year they numbered 801.
A comparison of the dispensary figures with the total number on the Register (1262) shows
that the majority of the tuberculosis cases are dealt with through the Council's scheme.
Residential Institutional Treatment, Light Treatment, X-Ray Diagnosis, etc.
The facilities available for residential institutional treatment at sanatoria and St. Mary Abbots
Hospital, for medical consultations, X-ray diagnosis and light treatment, will be found on page 82
of the Annual Report foi 1928, which also contains reference to the close co-operation of the Council's
staff with general medical practitioners and other bodies and institutions.
There were no cases recommended for artificial light treatment during the year.
| Women Health Officers. | total. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | No. 2 | No. 3 | No. 4 | No. 5 | No. 6 | No. 7 | ||
| Tuberculosis. | ||||||||
| First Visits | 20 | 24 | 26 | 49 | 30 | 10 | 50 | 209 |
| Re-Visits | 189 | 184 | 281 | 272 | 260 | 273 | 182 | 1,641 |
| • | ||||||||
| First Visits | 7 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 45 |
| Re-Visits | 115 | 190 | 191 | 7 | 53 | 192 | 110 | 858 |
Housing conditions form an important element in regard to tuberculosis, and home visits are
valuable in this connection. The sleeping arrangements are frequently unsatisfactory and the
Women Health Officers always enquire into them. Wherever possible, desirable alterations are
pointed out and urged upon the family.
The following table giving the number of rooms occupied by the families of definite cases of tuberculosis diagnosed in 1929 by the Tuberculosis Officer, and the number of occupants, ascertained by the Women Health Officers on their visits to the homes, is inserted to show the difficulties experienced in securing home isolation in many cases :—
| No. of Occupants. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| l | 2 | s | 4 | s | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | ||
| Rooms 1 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | = 15 cases |
| 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | =44 „ | |
| „ 3 | — | 4 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | =33 „ | |
| „ 4 | — | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | — | — | — | =30 „ |
| „ 5 | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | =4 „ |
| „ 6 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| 128 eases | |||||||||||
This total falls 26 short of the total number of cases (including the 30 cases transferred
from other districts) owing to patients living in boarding houses, private hotels or large private
residences not being included.