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To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the Metropolitan
Borough of Stoke Newington.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to present the Annual Report for the year 1938, which
includes statistical information printed on pages 74-75.
Last year I pointed out that there had been an increase in the
work, reflected mainly in the number of new cases seen, but that
though substantial, it was not sufficiently marked to call for special
comment. This year there has been a further rise, and I think it
appropriate to refer to this in more detail.
The number of persons attending for the first time has remained
stationary at 555 in Hackney, but has risen from 271 to 329 in Stoke
Newington, due to a large extent to the very high figure for contacts.
On further analysis it will be found that of the 555 Hackney
cases, only 139 were tuberculous, the corresponding number for the
329 Stoke Newington cases being 75. It is thus evident that the
Dispensary is fulfilling its function as a centre for diagnosis, and the
high proportion of negative cases investigated, though it involves a
considerable amount of time and trouble, is to be welcomed.
The first, and I believe the most important duty of the Tuberculosis
Officer is to sort out those who need treatment, those who need
a period of observation, and those who can safely be regarded as not
suffering from any active lesion. It is hardly likely that this high
number of new attendances will be maintained, as the year 1938 has
apparently been an exceptional one for reasons into which one cannot
enter here, but even if it only marks a temporary phase, as
seems probable, it is a gratifying fact to record.
When one comes to consider the number of persons found
tuberculous, investigation shows 120 Pulmonary and 19 Nonpulmonary
in Hackney, and 65 Pulmonary and 10 Non-pulmonary
in Stoke Newington. Of the total tuberculous cases in Hackney,
48 (3 of whom were found to be recovered during the year), were
people who had moved into the area from other districts, and in
Stoke Newington 26 (1 of whom was found to be recovered). This
is doubtless due to the improved standards of housing which are
gradually being established, but, as I have pointed out before, the
supervision of these newcomers is by no means easy, and it is impossible
to be certain whether other tuberculous persons have not
entered without informing the Public Health Authorities of the
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