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 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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APPENDIX
The pattern of morbidity
The classification of all patients attending the Centre has made it possible to demonstrate
the requirements of the doctors and to produce a pattern of the diseases and conditions
which are thought to require investigation in making a diagnosis.
The requests by the practitioners, classified according to results in order of frequency, were:
| Diagnostic Group | % | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Symptoms and ill-defined conditions | 20.4 |
| 2. | Diseases of respiratory system | 14.3 |
| 3. | Diseases of blood and blood forming organs | 13.0 |
| 4. | Diseases of bones and organs of movement | 10.6 |
| 5. | Accidents and violence | 10.3 |
| 6. | Diseases of genito-urinary system | 6.5 |
| 7. | Diseases of circulatory system | 4.5 |
| 8. | Allergic, endocrine system, metabolic and nutritional diseases | 4.3 |
| 9. | Communicable diseases | 3.4 |
| 10. | Complications of pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium | 3.3 |
| 11. | Diseases of skin and cellular tissue | 3.2 |
| 12. | Prophylactic procedures | 2.2 |
| 13. | Diseases of the digestive system | 1.2 |
| 14. | Mental, psychoneurotic and personality disorders | 0.8 |
| 15. | Neoplasms | 0.7 |
| 16. | Congenital malformations | 0.7 |
| 17. | Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs | 0.6 |
| 18. | Certain diseases of early infancy | — |
| 100.0 | ||
A few of these are examined here in a little more detail. Further particulars can be
supplied on request to the Director.
Symptoms and ill-defined conditions—This was the largest group, containing a majority
of results which were within normal limits. When related to the clinical details supplied
the requests were all justified. In most cases either the tests were asked for as a precautionary
measure or in checking the progress of a patient following an acute incident.
Accidents, chest cases and possible anaemias figure largely in this number. Females
greatly exceeded males in the group study. It is of some interest that an appreciable number
of patients in this group had normal results apart from high sedimentation rates; this may
be worthy of follow up.
Age groups
Patients Male Female 20/29 30/39 40/49 X-ray Pathology ECG
512 195 317 110 77 99 284 205 56
The age distribution was mainly in the mid-range, 286 patients between the ages of 20
and 49. X-ray investigations (284) were largely chests, bones and joints, pathology (205)
chiefly haematology. The age groups of the patients referred for electric cardiograms with
normal results are of some interest when compared with the table for diseases of the
circulatory system which records abnormals.
Age groups
Male Female 16/19 20/29 30/39 40/49 50/59 60/69 70+
40 16 1 4 5 16 18 11 1
166