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26
Soho Survey
During the months of January-June, 1960, a survey of workers
employed in catering establishments in Soho was cartied out jointly
by the Westminster Hospital Chest Clinic and The South-West London
Mass X-Ray Service. 2,611 catering trade employees were X-Rayed
during a series of thirteen visits made by the Mass X-Ray Unit. A
report on the results of this survey was published in July, 1961, and is
referred to in the following section.
In view of the findings and recommendations, plans were made to
repeat this survey in Soho during the period January-April 1962, and
to X-Ray as many as possible of those employed in hotels and catering
establishments elsewhere in the City of Westminster.
Incidence of Tuberculosis in Soho
A survey undertaken in 1958 by the staff of the Westminster Hospital
Chest Clinic, suggested that workers in the catering trade in Soho had a
particularly high incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis. A further survey
was therefore arranged by the Chest Clinic to ascertain the present
position and was carried out during the months of January to June,
1960. The results of the current survey were published in an article
by the Chest Physician and Almoner of the Westminster Hospital Chest
Clinic and a member of the South-West London Mass X-Ray Service
and appeared in the British Medical Journal of 15th July, 1961.
The Soho area had been chosen for the survey because of the large
number of catering establishments centred there. Details of some
400 catering establishments in the area were supplied from Public Health
Department records to the Chest Clinic and the proprietors or licensees
of 240 establishments were asked to co-operate (47 public houses and
193 restaurants, cafes, and coffee bars). 238 agreed to do so and out of
4,733 workers in these establishments, 2,611 were interviewed and
X-Rayed. As a result it was found that 86 workers showed radiological
evidence of past or present tuberculosis.
These 86 cases were divided into three groups:—
" Active "—all new cases requiring treatment:
Sputum t.b. positive 6
Sputum t.b. negative 15
" Observed "—requiring observation only (including 2
already attending other Chest Clinics) 32
" Discharged "—with evidence of old healed pulmonary
tuberculosis, but not thought to be requiring clinical
observation 33
It will be observed that out of 21 active cases, only 6 were sputum
positive at that time; the nationalities of these 6 persons were as follows:-