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
Finsbury 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]
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The numbers of notifications and deaths of Finsbury cases of Phthisis since 1901 in ten-year periods are appended
| Year. | Average No. of Primary Notifications. | Average No. of CasesNotified per 1,000 of Inhabitants. | Average No. of Deaths. | Average Death Rate per 10,000. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-10 | 213 | 22.7 | 223 | 23.4 |
| 1911-20 | 327 | 41.0 | 146 | 18.7 |
| 1921-30 | 161 | 21.7 | 94 | 12.8 |
| 1931 | 135 | 19.3 | 85 | 12.1 |
| 1932 | 132 | 19.1 | 73 | 10.6 |
| 1933 | 122 | 18.3 | 78 | 11.5 |
| 1934 | 132 | 20.3 | 56 | 8.6 |
| 1935 | 101 | 16.0 | 50 | 7.9 |
| 1936 | 97 | 16.1 | 53 | 8.7 |
| 1937 | 106 | 18.1 | 59 | 10.0 |
| 1938 | 116 | 20.3 | 35 | 6.2 |
The number of primary notifications received in 1938 was 100.
Of these, 12 were from Public Assistance sources, 49 from hospitals
and dispensaries, 24 from private doctors, and 15 from sundry
sources. And, again, of these :—
68 were from Clerkenwell.
29 „ St. Luke's.
3 „ St. Sepulchre.
The Homes of the Patients.—The homes of the patients
are often found to be unsatisfactory and unsuitable for a phthisical
household. Prevention of the spread of the disease is thereby
rendered more difficult. Every effort is made to help the patients
as far as possible. Out of those notified last year, 6 lived in oneroomed
tenements, 21 lived in two-roomed tenements, and the
remainder had three or more rooms. Overcrowding was noted in
nine cases.
Owing to restricted accommodation all the rooms have to be
used for sleeping.
The congested central area of London is not ideal for the
residence of active tuberculous patients, especially when they live
in the so-called " Model " dwellings.