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

London County Council 1919

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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Table: TABLE I. (1918).

TABLE I. (1918).

Metropolitan borough.Primary notifications.Cases of tuberculosis dealt with at dispensaries for first time.
Number.Per cent, of primary notifications.
Pulmonary.Non. pulmonary.Pulmonary.Non. pulmonary.Pulmonary.Non. pulmonary.
Battersea26614933831272
Bermondsey282101199257025
Bethnal Green5151003304198 8841
Camberwell66523958710443
Chelsea107146035621
Deptford2051112114410340
Finsbury266502124808
Pulham57680234144117
Greenwich261133177566842
Hackney793109465615955
Hammersmith26241106*14*??
Hampstead27270143245234
Holborn152116434227
Islington1,006184646386421
Kensington496107183413738
Lambeth1,0633614391624145
Lewiaham29488216417347
Paddington322126110653452
Poplar625225306814936
St. Pancras817181397444924
St. Maryebone31843168225351
Shoreditch44051319127223
Southwark579195439897645
Stepney1,547213695784536
Stoke Newington771212114156126
Wandsworth729213447696132
Westminster51993251294831
Woolwich563101345486148
City of London30151†2†170-
14,0473,4038,2591,2315936

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* Figures for six months only.
t Including metropolitan cases not residing in the City.

Table: TABLE II.

TABLE II.

1917.1918.
Number of primary notifications of pulmonary tuberculosis in the metropolitan boroughs13,07614,047
Number of primary notifications of non.pulmonary tuberculosis in the metropolitan boroughs3,7293,403
Number of cases of pulmonary tuberculosis dealt with by the dispensaries for the first time7,2028,292
Number of cases of non.pulmonary tuberculosis dealt with by the dispensaries for the first time1,3131,231

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It is evident from these tables that the dispensaries only deal with about half the new cases of
pulmonary tuberculosis occurring in London in any year and a third of the cases of non.pulmonary
tuberculosis.
Some further light is thrown upon this by determining the interval between notification and
death. In one metropolitan borough, out of 205 deaths attributed to tuberculosis in 1915—
64 (or 31 per cent.) were only notified at death.
39 (or 19 per cent.) were notified and died within a month.
34 (or 16 per cent.) were notified and.died within six months.
This matter is worthy of further investigation as, if this condition of affairs obtains generally
throughout London the dispensaries (an scarcely be expected to deal with more than 60 per cent,
to 10 per cent, of the total primary notifications in any year.
Table III. shows the number of cases of tuberculosis dealt with by the dispensaries for the first
time during the years 1917 and 1918.
55680