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* Including all primary notifications and also any other new cases of tuberculosis which came
to the knowledge of the Medical Officer of Health during the year.
† Excluding deaths occurring in the district amongst temporary residents, which were transferred
to another district, but including deaths occurring outside the district amongst
persons normally resident in the district. Subject to this, the figures in the table relate to
the total deaths in the district during the year.
Tuberculosis Notifications.
In all, 134 notifications were received, 117 relating to pulmonary tuberculosis,
the remainder (17) to cases in which structures other than the lungs were affected.
Table 42 gives information regarding the localisation of the disease, while
Table 43 contains the information required by the Ministry of Health with regard
to notifications.
From time to time reference is made to the difficulty associated with the
obtaining of notifications sufficiently early, and the following figures are introduced
because they are interesting in this connection. They relate, in some instances,
as will be seen, to cases in which death had taken place before the fact that the
individual was suffering from the disease had been brought to the notice of the
Medical Officer of Health, as required by the regulations:—
1. Total number of deaths from tuberculosis in the borough 54
2. The number of cases unnotified or notified at death 12
3. The number of cases notified within a month of death 5
4. The number of cases notified within three months of death 7
5. The number of cases notified within six months of death 2
Nine cases of tuberculosis were unnotified at death. The ratio of non-notified
tuberculosis deaths to total tuberculosis deaths was therefore 1 : 6.
So far as the Borough itself is concerned, notification of tuberculosis may be
regarded as efficient. The local medical practitioners fulfil their obligations in this
respect, and take advantage of the facilities provided by the municipal tuberculosis
scheme and co-operate with the officers of the local authority for the benefit of their
patients. The comparatively high percentage of cases unnotified or notified at
death is a matter for regret, but investigation into the circumstances invariably
shows that in each case a satisfactory explanation for non-notification is forthcoming.
The institution of proceedings was not called for in regard to any case of wilful
neglect or refusal to notify.