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 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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9
1,565 as against 1,226, an increase of 339. The percentage of total recoveries to total
admissions (table 11) was 25-42 as against 19-48 for 1928; and the percentage of
total deaths to the average daily number on the registers (table 12) was 7-59 as
against 6-06 for 1928. The total number of discharges was 1,409 as against 1,328
for 1928, an increase of 81.
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
1929 was 3,109. The " exits " of London cases, i.e., discharges, transfers, deaths,
etc., numbered 2,932, so that the number of admissions exceeded the total number
of exits by 177. The number of London patients under treatment in out-county
mental hospitals was decreased by 14 during the year, so that the net increase in
London patients was 163 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.
22. Details of the total number of the insane (excluding male patients in the
private section at Claybury mental hospital) under the care of public authorities in
London responsible for dealing with them are as follows :—
Insane
persons
within the
knowledge of
public
authorities,
1890-1930.
| («) | («)" | (v) | ||||||
| — | — | — | — | |||||
| — | — | |||||||
| — | — | |||||||
| — | — | |||||||
| — | — | |||||||
| 533 | — | — | ||||||
| 151 | — | — | ||||||
| — | — | |||||||
| 142 | — | — | ||||||
| — | — | |||||||
| 499 | — | —. | ||||||
| 340 | — | — | ||||||
| 724 | — | _ | ||||||
| 163 | — | — | ||||||
| 10,930 | ||||||||
| 273 | ||||||||
23. Table 6 shows that the total number of the London insane decreased in the
year by 49 as compared with an increase during 1928 of 637. Actually the London
County Council had to provide on 1st January, 1930, for 163 additional cases as
compared with 1st January, 1929 (see table 5), but the number of cases in the institutions
of the Metropolitan Asylums Board on 1st January, 1930 was 155 less than the
number on 1st January, 1929, and the number of cases for whom boards of guardians
were providing treatment either in the infirmary or workhouse or with relatives and
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