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
Coulsdon and Purley 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Coulsdon]
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The following table shows the age-groups in which notifications and deaths occurred
| Age Periods. | New Cases. | Deaths. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulmonary. | Non-pulmonary. | Pulmonary. | Non-pulmonary. | |||||
| M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | |
| Under 1 year | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 and under 5 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 5 and under 10 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 and under 15 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 15 and under 20 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 20 and under 25 | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 |
| 25 and under 35 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 35 and under 45 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 45 and under 55 | 7 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 55 and under 65 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| 65 and over | 2 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | 1 |
| Totals | 26 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 4 | — | 3 |
The new cases were distributed amongst the wards as follows
| Localisation. | Coulsdon East. | Coulsdon West. | Kenley | Parley. | Sander-stead. | Selsdon and Farleigh. | Wood-cote. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulmonary | 3 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 5 |
| Non-pulmonary | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Totals | 4 | 15 | 5 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 7 |
The number of new notifications of pulmonary tuberculosis
was 42, compared with an average of 54 in the previous five years.
This corresponds with a case rate of 65 per 100.000 population,
which is below the average for the last 10 years and the pre-war
averages. The fact that this rate is still higher than it was in the
years immediately before the war. is partly due to the influence of
Mass Radiography, etc., in detecting more cases in their earlier
stages, and partly because the success of modern treatment encourages
early notification.
The incidence of this disease can be further reduced by extensions
of the present policy, aiming at early detection and treatment,
the immunisation and supervision of contacts, and preferential
treatment in rehousing and rehabilitation.
By contrast with the case rate, the death rate from pulmonary
tuberculosis has dropped to a low level, both locally and nationally,
being only 17 per 100,000 population in 1951 and 1952,
compared with 31, 64 and 29 in the three preceding years and a
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