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
Barking 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barking]
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THE HEALTH OF BARKING
TUBERCULOSIS.
Below is set out a table of notifications of new cases of tuberculosis in the are during 1946 :—
| New Cases Notified | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | |||
| M. | F. | M. | F. | |
| Under 1 year | 1 | - | - | - |
| 1 to 5 years | 1 | — | — | — |
| 5 to 15 years | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 15 to 25 years | 17 | 15 | — | 3 |
| 25 to 35 years | 9 | 12 | 2 | — |
| 35 to 45 years | 12 | 3 | — | 1 |
| 45 to 55 years | 11 | 3 | — | 1 |
| 55 to 65 years | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 65 years and upwards | 3 | 1 | — | — |
| 59 | 37 | 5 | 7 | |
One hundred and eight notifications were received of all forms of tuberculosis,
of these 96 were of the lung (pulmonary) and 12 of other parts of the body (nonpulmonary).
In this total is included 27 cases who have removed into the district,
and of these cases 3 are old cases returned to Barking.
The overall position over the last few years is shown graphically opposite.
Of 37 deaths in 1946, 34 were of the lung (pulmonary) and 3 of other parts of
the body (non-pulmonary).
It is always difficult in a disease like tuberculosis, where so many cases remain
for a long time undetected to judge its prevalence or incidence from the notifications,
for clearly the keener and the more expert the diagnosis the more cases will be found
and notified. Although they only tell of the incidence of the disease indirectly,
deaths more readily indicate our measure of control over the disease. In 1938
there were 36 deaths and in 1946 there were 37 so that we seem to have overcome the
wartime increase in mortality.
The use of Mass Miniature Radiography, a means of x-raying chests rapidly
and cheaply, if developed and expanded and applied at intervals to the whole of the
population would greatly assist in reducing the scourge of this disease. Lesser
measures will bring lesser results.
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