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sought and new methods such as mass miniature radiography now discover early cases
which formerly would have recovered without notification or would not have been
notified until the disease was more advanced. It is almost certain that pre-war and
post-war rates are not strictly comparable. The war-time increase in morbidity
from non-pulmonary tuberculosis was less severe than for the pulmonary form and
the rates have fallen below the pre-war level and have continued to decline.
The age distribution of new cases of tuberculosis is shown in Tables 13 (a) and (b).
Unfortunately the available population estimates permit the calculation of rates
only for the two broad groups, under age 15 and above that age.
For pulmonary disease the adult rate has been rising since 1947 by about 3-4
per cent. each year but the rise in the juvenile rate experienced in 1947 has not
progressed. The rates per 1,000 for the 0-14 group in recent years have been as
follow (numbers of cases in brackets):—
1943 0.85 (392)
1944 0.85 (401)
1945 0.83 (415)
1946 0.94 (548)
1947 1.04 (607)
1948 1.01 (633)
1949 0.97 (622)
Both relatively and absolutely the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis in children
which took a disturbing upward turn in 1946-47 is still much higher than in
1943-45.
The non-pulmonary cases have been analysed according to the site of the lesion
in Table 15. The incidence of abdominal tuberculosis continues to be very much
lower than before the war and in children at least is still declining. It is difficult to
make any statement about the incidence of meningeal tuberculosis as there is reason
to believe that many cases are not notified owing to difficulties in diagnosis. A few
years ago the death figures sufficed to measure incidence but since the introduction
of streptomycin a large number now survive. The incidence of tuberculosis of bones
and joints seems stationary. Tuberculosis of the peripheral glands which showed
in children a large war-time rise, is now steadily becoming a rarer event.
GENERAL PUBLIC HEALTH
Housing
During the year 14,170 houses and flats were erected or brought into commission
by repairs by the Council and the Metropolitan Borough Councils. Of these
8,659 were in London (3,970 by the Council and 4,689 by the Borough Councils)
and the remainder (5,511) were erected by the Council outside the London area.
The total number of houses or flats owned by the Council at 31st December,
1949, was 125,611 (an increase in the year of 10,573) of which 64,216 are situated in
London and 61,395 outside the London area.
At 31st December, 1949, the Council's list of applicants waiting for accommodation
contained 162,000 names, 55,998 new applications having been made during the
year. In this period no fewer than 33,300 requests for preference in rehousing on
health grounds, apart from infectious tuberculosis, for which exact figures are not
available, were considered and suitable recommendations made to the Director of
Housing. Some 10 per cent. of these were for review of applications already reported
Rehousing
on medical
grounds