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
Croydon 1923
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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33
The treatment consists of general hygienic and dietetic
measures, rest, graduated walks, and for a few patients light gardening
work. A considerable proportion of the patients are more
advanced in grade than are usually found in sanatoria, only 13 per
cent, being classified as early cases. Tuberculin is not in general
use.
Seeing that most of the patients admitted are at a moderately advanced or far advanced stage of the disease, the results set out in the following table can be regarded as satisfactory : —
| Clinical classification and results of treatment of 123 cases discharged during 1923. | Not included in average length of stay. | Total discharges nnd deaths under each group. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group. | No. of Cases. | Arrested. a | Much improved b | Improved | Stationary or worse. | Average length of stay. | Irregular discharge c | Deaths, | ||
| I. Early | 14 | 12 | 2 | — | — | 17.2 weeks | 3 | 1 | 18 | |
| II. Moderately advanced | 37 | 4 | 19 | 10 | 4 | 22.8 weeks | 7 | 2 | 45 | |
| III. Far advanced | 56 | 4 | 12 | 23 | 17 | 22.1 weeks | 6 | 11 | 72 | |
| Total | 107 | 20 | 33 | 33 | 21 | 16 | 14 | 135 | ||
(a) " Arrested " means general health completely restored; signs in the lung
compatible with a healed lesion, bacilli absent.
(b) " Much improved " means general health very good—signs in lung
diminished, bacilli may be present.
(c) Irregular discharges include patients who, for domestic or financial reasons,
desired to return home, those discharged for misconduct, e.g., breaking
rules, etc., and patients who found climatic conditions too severe. None
of these cases remained for the recognised three months.
During the year steps were taken towards the preparation of a
scheme for the extension of the sanatorium to accommodate 85
instead of 50 patients. At the time of preparation of this report
the plans for that purpose had been submitted to the Ministry of
Health, and arrangements were approaching completion whereby
Surrey County Council would be allotted 40 beds, Croydon C.B. 40
beds, and Kent C.C. 5 beds; the institution to be used mainly for
the treatment of medium and advanced cases of pulmonary tuberculosis,
subject to the condition that not more than half the cases
sent in by any authority are to be "bed" cases; the institution
to be available for the treatment both of men and of women, in the
proportion of 53 men to 32 women, instead of only for men, as