View report page

Forty-four deaths occurred from Tuberculosis (all forms) thirty-seven of
these being pulmonary cases. The number of deaths in institutions was
thirty-seven.
The death rate for Tuberculosis (all forms) during 1936 was 0.58 per 1,000
population, compared with 0.62 for the previous year.
The Public Health (Prevention of Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1925, give you
power to deal with persons suffering from tuberculosis who are employed in the
milk trade. There has been no need for any such action during the year under
review.
Section 62 of the same Act deals with the compulsory removal to hospital of
persons suffering from tuberculosis. Many years ago when the whole of the
tuberculosis work in Barking was co-ordinated in my office, by virtue of the fact
that in addition to being Medical Officer of Health I was District Tuberculosis
Officer to the County, I found that discreet reference to the powers you had under
this Act were useful in dealing with patients who might otherwise not have been so
willing to enter institutions, where they would of course be segregated and harmless.
With the tuberculosis work divided as it is, I am afraid this Section must largely be
a dead letter. We did not avail ourselves of its powers at any time during the year.
The treatment of tuberculosis requires that the Authority responsible for such
treatment shall cover a very wide area. Most County Councils are too small.
It is desirable to divide persons suffering from tuberculosis into surgical and
medical. Then again it is desirable to divide them into children, adolescents and
adults, and it is also desirable to divide them into males and females. Further,
it is of advantage to be able to provide separate institutions for early, intermediate
and advanced cases.