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DEATHS
There were 14 deaths during the year directly attributable to
tuberculosis. This is an increase of six over the previous year's figure
but can be attributed to a similar number of deaths among residents at the
Knight's Hill Hostel for tuberculous men who were not normally resident in
the Borough of Lambeth. There were two female deaths only, one was an
old standing case with severe permanent lung damage, the other a case of
neglect to take medical advice where the disease was not diagnosed
and not notified until after daath. Of the male deaths all were over 60 years
of age including those resident at the Hostel and the other six all reflected
the problem of neglected old age. Three of them were more than 80 years
old and were admitted to hospital in a final stage of tuberculosis for which
they had not previously sought nor had been given advice and treatment.
One was a coroner's case diagnosed at the post-mortem examination.
Nineteen other chest clinic patients died during the year, 13 men and six
women. The majority of male deaths were attributable to age and cardiovascular
disease, then to bronchitis and respiratory infections and then
to lung cancer. The female deaths were in the main attributable to cardiac
disorder following long standing non-tuberculous lung disease, and others
to growths in the lungs secondary to cancer elsewhere.