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 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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8
Council's
responsibility
for patients
since 1890.
18. The following table shews the total number of lunatics for whom the Council has been responsible to find accommodation on 1st January, in certain years since 1890*:—
Table 5.
| Date. | Parish and county patients. | Chargeable to Prison Commissioners. | Patients on private list, etc., and private patients at Horton. | Total. | Increase. | Decrease. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st January— | ||||||
| 1890 | 10,100 | 4 | — | 10,104 | — | — |
| 1900 | 15,061 | 17 | 107 | 15,185 | 5,081(a) | — |
| 1910 | 19,288 | 39 | 587 | 19,914 | 4,729(a) | — |
| 1920 | 16,243 | 7 | 1,046 | 17,296 | — | 2,618(b) |
| 1921 | 16,557 | 40 | 1,219 | 17,816 | 520 | — |
| 1922 | 17,085 | 36 | 1,228 | 18,349 | 533 | — |
| 1923 | 17,343 | 15 | 1,142 | 18,500 | 151 | — |
| 1924 | 17,725 | 10 | 1,183 | 18,918 | 418 | — |
| 1925 | 17,653 | 10 | 1,397 | 19,060 | 142 | — |
| 1926 | 17,876 | 13 | 1,419 | 19,308 | 248 | — |
| 1927 | 18,418 | 11 | 1,378 | 19,807 | 499 | — |
| 1928 | 18,744 | 11 | 1,392 | 20,147 | 340 | — |
| 1929 | 19,426 | 13 | 1,432 | 20,871 | 724 | — |
(а) In each year of these decennia there was an increase. The average yearly increase was, from 1890 to 1900,
508, and from 1900 to 1910, 473.
(b) During the first 5 years of this decennium there was an average annual increase of 162. the next four years
(1916-1919) showed decreases averaging 1,078 a year, the last year (1920) showed an increase of 70.
Patients —
increase in
number.
19. The increased number of patients for whom the Council on 1st January,
1929, was responsible to find accommodation was 724. The number of additional
rate-aided patients was 682 (284 males, 398 females). There were 45 additional
patients on the private list and 6 fewer service and ex-service patients, an increase of 1
in the number of patients in the private ward at Horton mental hospital, and 2 more
male patients chargeable to the Prison Commissioners. In considering table 5
reference should be made to tables 9 to 12 inclusive, and to the corresponding tables
in the annual report for 1927.
20. It will be seen that the total number of admissions, both direct and indirect
(table 9) was 4,038, as against 4,118 for 1927, a decrease of 80 ; the recoveries (table
10) were 787, as against 734 for 1927, an increase of 53, and the deaths numbered
1,226 as against 1,356, a decrease of 130. The percentage of total recoveries on total
admissions (table 11) was 19.48 as against 17.82 for 1927, and the percentage of
total deaths on the average daily number on the registers (table 12) was 6.06 as
against 6.92 for 1927. The total number of discharges was 1,657 as against 1,299
for 1927, an increase of 358.
21. It should be pointed out that the total admissions (table 9) include transfers
between London County mental hospitals, whereas in the total discharges (table 10)
transfers to other mental hospitals are excluded and the figures represent actual
discharges from mental hospital care. Excluding transfers between London County
mental hospitals, transfers to Claybury mental hospital on private classification,
and cases in which chargeability has been adjudicated to out-county parishes or
unions, the total number of admissions to London County mental hospitals during
1928 was 3,325. The "exits" of London cases, i.e., discharges, transfers, deaths,
etc., numbered 2,538, so that the number of admissions exceeded the total number
of exits by 787. The number of London patients under treatment in out-countv
mental hospitals was decreased by 63 during the year, so that the net increase in
London patients was 724 as indicated by table 5. This increase represents an
inevitable process of accumulation in the Council's mental hospitals of chronic
patients for whom discharge is not practicable.
* The figures for each year up to 1915 will be found in the Annual Report for 1915-191!)
(Vol. II., p. 15) and for 1916-1919 in the Annual Report for 1921 (Vol. II., p. 6).