London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of Westminster 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
This page requires JavaScript
36
Soldiers admitted to the Military Hospital from the various barracks
are not visited ; there were 16 of these in 1913. When the death of an
un-notified person occurs the family is visited, if still in the district.
The number of consumptive patients visited during the year was 761,
and patients suffering from other forms, 238. At the end of the year
there were 449 consumptives and 169 other patients remaining on the
visiting list. ,
Analysis of cases visited in 1913:—
| Pulmonary. | Other Forms. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North. | South. | Total. | North. | South. | Total. | |
| N umber visited ... | 263 | 498 | 761 | 64 | 174 | 238 |
| Dead or removed | 105 | 207 | 312 | 10 | 59 | 69 |
| Remaining at end of year ... | 158 | 291 | 449 | 54 | 115 | 169 |
The illness of many of these patients dates back for several years,
and in a number of instances has been arrested. The dates when the
cases were first brought under observation were:—
1903 3 1907 17 1910 123
1904 9 1908 28 1911 154
1905 4 1909 56 1912 274
1906 10
Making allowance for those not notified, soldiers and others, the
actual number of persons in the City suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis
at any one time may be taken to be about 510, but in addition to
which there are casuals, who probably number about 100.
Irrespective of casuals and soldiers, the illness of 86 consumptive
persons (43 male, 43 female) notified in 1913 began previous to taking up
residence in Westminster, 9 others had been resident for long periods in
asylums or workhouses and developed the disease there. Of persons
suffering from other forms of tuberculosis, 43 were ill previous to
coming into Westminster.
Changes of address are frequent for various reasons, such as inability
to pay rent, through irregular work or incapacity to earn so much as
formerly, to persons in lodgings not returning to the same after
institutional treatment, and to servants leaving situations. Information
is now received from infirmaries and sanatoriums when patients leave,
but not from hospitals, and some patients change houses without
informing the visitors of the new address, consequently a certain number
are lost sight of for a time. When the new address is in another sanitary
area, and is known, information is sent to the medical officer, and
similar notice is received by me of patients moving into Westminster,