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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The mortality records are as follows. (The figures in brackets refer to last year's enquiry into the 1921 cases.)
| Class. | Total. | Percentage alive live years after discharge. | Percentage dead. |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 225(271) | 95.5 (90.0) | 4.5 (10.0) |
| B.l | 16(11) | 62.5 (44.5) | 37.5 (55.5) |
| B.2 | 27(18) | 37.0 (50.0) | 63.0 (50.0) |
| B. 3 | 39(33) | 7.7 (3.0) | 92.3 (97.0) |
| Surgical | 206(189) | 84.0 (81.0) | 16.0 (19.0) |
Of the 5,735 adult cases recommended for residential treatment during 1928, only
25 were subsequently withdrawn, 5,113 were accepted and 597 were not accepted.
The 5,113 cases were disposed of as follows: (a) 1,258 were passed for admission to" observation" beds in order to determine" diagnosis" or" suitability for sanatorium
treatment"; (b) 3,855 were admitted direct to sanatoria or hospitals. Of
the foregoing accepted cases, 337 for various reasons failed to enter institutions and
21 were awaiting vacancies at the end of the year.
The cases referred to" observation" hospitals were generally (1) patients in
whom the diagnosis of tuberculosis was doubtful (2) acute cases and (3) patients
with well-marked symptoms whose suitability for sanatorium treatment could only
be satisfactorily determined after a period of observation in hospital.
The mortality rates of the non-pulmonary cases classified according to the location of the disease are as follows:—
| Total. | Percentage alive live years after discharge. | Percentage dead. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hip | 45 | 82.2 (71.1) | 17.8 (28.9) |
| Spine | 38 | 68.4 (75.7) | 31.6 (24.3) |
| Other bones | 40 | 90.0 (88.6) | 10.0 (11.4) |
| Glands | 71 | 93.0 (93.2) | 7.0 ( 6.8) |
| Other parts | 12 | 66.7 (53.8) | 33.3 (46.2) |
The following table indicates the number of applications from adults for residential treatment during each of the last five years:—
| Applications for lirst period of treatment. | Applications for further treatment. | Total applications. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ex-Service. | Civilian male. | Female. | Ex-Service. | Civilian male. | Female. | ||
| 1924 | 363 | 1,823 | 1,705 | 714 | 560 | 469 | 5,634 |
| 1925 | 381 | 1,929 | 1,829 | 598 | 605 | 527 | 5,869 |
| 1926 | 128 | 2,262 | 1,864 | 478 | 693 | 582 | 6,007 |
| 1927 | 63 | 2,119 | 1,819 | 417 | 727 | 622 | 5,767 |
| 1923 | 33 | 2,125 | 1,839 | 345 | 760 | 633 | 5,735 |
During the year 1,208 patients were discharged from" observation beds" and their classification was as follows (the corresponding figures for 1927 in pulmonary cases are also given):—
| Pulmonary. | 1928. | 1927. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number. | Percentage. | Number. | Percentage. | |
| Group A | 316 | 35.27 | 355 | 36.30 |
| Group B1 | 39 | 4.35 | 60 | 6.13 |
| Group B2 | 415 | 46.32 | 484 | 49.49 |
| Group B3 | 126 | 14.06 | 79 | 8.08 |
| Total pulmonary cases | 896 | 978 | ||
| Surgical cases | 21 | 18 | ||
| Total diagnosed as tuberculous | 917 | 926 | ||
Of the 238 surviving pulmonary cases, 62 were at school and 145 at work, and of
173 surviving non-pulmonarv cases, 71 were at school and 86 at work.
The following table indicates the number of applications from adults for residential
treatment during each of the last five years:—
Tuberculosis,
residential
treatment