London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Lambeth 1964

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lambeth Borough]

This page requires JavaScript

42
accurately shown in the following Table IA which is a record of cases first
diagnosed during the year and formally notified under the Tuberculosis Regulations.
These figures refer only to that part of Lambeth which is in the South East
Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board area, served by the Chest Clinic in St.
Francis' Hospital.

TABLE IA

Respiratory TuberculosisNon-Respiratory Tuberculosis
MenWomenChildrenTotalMenWomenChildrenTotal
Number of Cases diagnosed during the year 1964291164642-6
Deaths91111---*

Deaths
There were 11 deaths including 9 men, 1 woman and 1 child. The one female
death occurred in a case suffering from irreversible lung damage originally
caused by severe tuberculosis contracted some fifteen years previously before
chemotherapy was available.. The child was a case of miliary tuberculosis,
diagnosed after death, occurring in the illegitimate infant of a tuberculous mother
unaware of her disease until it was discovered when she was examined as a
contact. Of the male deaths, the majority were in the older age groups and most
had other contributory diseases. Three were inmates of the tuberculosis hostel
at Knight's Hill - men without a fixed home who had been wanderers and had not
shown good co-operation in treatment. Cancer of the respiratory tract was the
ultimate cause of death in two cases and in the others - bronchitis, cardiac
failure and senility.
Tuberculosis Incidence
For the first time in six years there was no reduction in the number of notified
cases diagnoised during the year. Respiratory cases numbered 46 - the same as
last year - there were 6 non-respiratory cases and one of fatal miliary disease
previously mentioned. The non-respiratory cases were all secondary to a Previous
lung infection and none was due to bovine infection. The distribution of
incidence followed the trend of recent years - more than twice as many male
cases as female and the majority in the over 40 age group. A small percentage of
cases was discovered by mass radiography examination, but the majority were
diagnosed at the Chest Clinic or at hospitals to where they had been referred by
general practitioners for further investigation and advice.