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 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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69
TUBERCULOSIS REPORT, 1948
I am indebted to Dr. C. W. L. Jeanes, Tuberculosis Officer,
(transferred to service of the Regional Hospital Board on July 5th,
1948), for the following report. Also appended is a note on Care
Committee work undertaken.
Owing to the difficulty of separating the work of the Dispensary
into two periods, the figures relate to the full year.
Despite the changes in responsibilty in the third quarter it is
pleasing to record that the work of the Clinic has continued as
usual and cordial relations have been maintained with the local
doctors, hospitals and voluntary organisations concerned with the
care of patients.
During the year 263 new cases of tuberculosis of all types were
notified, including 144 cases transferred from other districts.
The number of transferred cases is the highest ever recorded.
Notifications and deaths since 1938 are shown on the following tables:—
| Year. | Pulmonary Tuberculosis. | Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis. | Deaths. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | 153 | 38 | 53 |
| 1939 | 93 | 14 | 60 |
| 1940 | 125 | 17 | 73 |
| 1941 | 138 | 32 | 74 |
| 1942 | 164 | 18 | 64 |
| 1943 | 117 | 26 | 60 |
| 1944 | 113 | 16 | 47 |
| 1945 | 149 | 16 | 53 |
| 1946 | 173 | 18 | 56 |
| 1947 | 171 | 13 | 67 |
| 1948 | 112 | 17 | 62 |
Of the 129 cases notified primarily, 117 came under the care of the Dispensary, and were made up as follows:—
| Pulmonary Tuberculosis | Non-Pulmonary | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Adults | Children | Adults | Children |
| 92 | 11 | 8 | 6 |
Only 42 of the 92 new adult cases had positive sputum on
diagnosis. In most cases this meant that the disease had been
diagnosed in the early stage, and that the patients had not become
infectious.