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
City of Westminster 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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The special Phthisis Visitor keeps in close touch with the patients
and their families, with the exception of casuals and certain cases in
which the medical man in charge supplies the requisite information and
undertakes to give the necessary advice and assistance. Very little
information is obtainable about the casual and homeless consumptive,
and full particulars are not always obtainable with respect to a
number of those notified from private addresses, for various reasons,
such as in the case of persons who have been in lodgings for short
periods only, and do not return on discharge from hospital or infirmary,
and persons notified from hotels where the stay was temporary. From
the records which are kept of each case, the following information lias
been abstracted:—
324 persons notified were males, 176 females, without casuals
236 males and 167 females; with the exception of 14 males and
13 females, these suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis.
Duration of illness before notification:—
| Pulmonary Tuberculosis. | Under 1 year. | 1 to 2 years. | 2 to 3 years. | 3 to 4 years. | 4 to 5 years. | 5 to 6 years. | 6 to 8 years. | 9 to 10 years. | 10 to 15 years. | 15 to 20 years. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males(184) | 73 | 35 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | _ |
| Females(140) | 72 | 30 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Duration of illness up to death:-
| Pulmonary Tuberculosis. | Under 1 year. | 1 to 2 years. | 2 to 3 years. | 3 to 4 years. | 4 to 5 years. | 5 to 6 years. | 6 to 8 years. | 8 to 10 years. | 10 to 15 years. | 15 to 20 years. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 18 | 15 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - |
| Females | 5 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | I | 1 | - |
Period between notification and death:—
| Pulmonary Tuberculosis. | Under 1 month. | 1 to 3 months. | 3 to 6 months. | 6 to 12 months. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 28 | 14 | 13 | 5 |
| Females | 7 | 8 | 8 | 4 |
History of phthisis in parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts:—
| Pulmonary Tuberculosis. | Males. | Females. | Males. | Females. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | 27 | 45 | None | 104 | 66 |
| Doubtful | 13 | 18 | Unknown | 71 | 24 |