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
Greenwich 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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92
TUBERCULOSIS OFFICER'S REPORT FOR 1938.
Sir,
In presenting my Report for the current year, I should like
to record the continued friendly co-operation which exists in my
relations with other departments and local medical practitioners.
In addition, I would like to express my thanks to the staffs of the
various local Hospitals, Charity Organisations, and Public Assistance
Committees for their help in dealing with the cases attending
Maze Hill Clinic.
At the end of 1938, the Notification Register (*) consisted of 694 cases as compared with 646 cases in 1937. The total is made up as follows:—
| Adults. | Children. | Total. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males. | Females. | |||
| Pulmonary | 268 | 229 | 45 | 542 |
| Non-Pulmonary | 33 | 40 | 79 | 152 |
It is satisfactory to note a further decrease in the number
of deaths from tuberculosis in 1938 as compared with previous
years. It is still felt that much effort remains to be expended if
this downward trend in mortality is to be maintained.
Notifications.—Notifications were received during the year
in respect of 122 pulmonary and 30 non-pulmonary cases, representing
an incidence of 1.27 per 1,000 population for the pulmonary
and .31 for the non-pulmonary forms of the disease.
Complete details of the statistical data for the year are given at the back of the report, but the following table is submitted showing comparative figures for some of the main items over the past ten years in connection with Dispensary cases.
| Year | No. of cases on Dispensary Register | Deaths | No. of "T.B.+" Cases | Death Rate per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | 750 | 80 | 230 | .76 |
| 1930 | 770 | 64 | 222 | .60 |
| 1931 | 712 | 78 | 234 | .78 |
| 1932 | 712 | 52 | 234 | .50 |
| 1933 | 673 | 76 | 242 | .77 |
| 1934 | 683 | 59 | 238 | .60 |
| 1935 | 577 | 65 | 252 | .67 |
| 1936 | 532 | 58 | 257 | .60 |
| 1937 | 517 | 64 | 258 | .66 |
| 1938 | 533 | 53 | 267 | .55 |