London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hornchurch 1951

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hornchurch]

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32
elsewhere but which have become quiescent and, possibly after a period
of many years, active again in our area.
The number of inward transfers included in our 128 pulmonary
cases was 38.
These factors necessarily colour the picture of the number of new
cases in its relation peculiarly to our area.
Non-Pulmonary—The notifications decreased from 10 to 13.
The death rate of 0.24/1000 population is a reduction on last year
and is below the average for the country as a whole.
The deaths numbered 25, a decrease of 4 on 1950. The presence
of Tuberculosis was in twelve of the eases only made known in fact
after death had occurred and in three other instances death occurred
within one month of notification.
Whatever progress is being made with chemotherapy and antibiotics
it is clearly vital that early diagnosis should be made possible.
The factors causing this delay in seeking advice must evidently be
sought and countered by the appropriate Authorities. If a case is
not elicited until after death then that person has had considerable
scope for spreading the disease for a problematical period before death
and the same general argument applies in varying degree to all cases
diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Money spent in halting tuberculosis is invested not wasted and
one of the major reassuring factors to a patient will be the feeling that
this disease both can be cured and will not produce penury in the
process.

The tuberculosis register at the end of the year showed as follows Pulmonary—

Males339
Females267
Non-Pulmonary—
Males36
Females34
Pulmonary and Non-Pulmonary Total676

Mass Radiography.
A visit to Hornchurch was paid by a Unit in September/October,
1951. The success of its appeal may be gauged by the fact that in
all 6,644 individuals attended. The full results of the visit are not
yet available but the appeal which it made is indicative of the vastly
different popular outlook towards a subject of this kind. It shows
I think that the public do in certain instances appreciate the value
of prevention rather than cure and although it could be argued that
in this example it is much easier to put across the value of preventionsince
Tuberculosis as a scourge is so well known—we in the Public
Health service must strive to secure the same outlook in directions
and regarding problems which may not have the popular appreciation
of Tuberculosis.