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a small percentage of cases seek medical advice. All cases reported
are fully investigated, information being passed on to other local
authorities when their areas seem to be implicated.
Puerperal Pyrexia.—Fourteen cases of puerperal pyrexia were
notified during the year as against 13 during 1948. Although two
maternal deaths occurred during the year, it should be noted that
in neither case was the death due to septic causes. Improvements
in the technique of midwifery, together with the introduction of
modern antibiotics, have considerably reduced the dangers of
puerperal pyrexia, particularly as a fatal disease.
Tuberculosis.—Tuberculosis notifications rose from 69 in 1948
to 83 in 1949.
1 would once again point out that it would be most unwise to
attempt to draw any significant conclusions from these figures.
The notifications of tuberculosis received during the year were
distributed among the various wards as follows:
North East. North West. Middle. South.
24 20 17 22
A broad classification of the cases notified in relation to
employment was:—
Clerical 24
Domestic Service 5
Food Trades 1
Manual Labour 11
Children 8
Nurse 1
Housewives 10
Armed Forces 2
Factory Workers 6
Unclassified 15
From the tables set out above, it will be noted that the Ward
distribution did not reveal any significant features. The comparatively
high figures for the North-East Ward are explained by the
fact that a number of the cases notified were diagnosed in
Highlands Hospital and were not originally residents of Southgate.
It will also be noted that the distribution of cases according
to type of employment was more or less what one would expect.
When it is remembered that comparatively few of the patients were
actually employed within the Borough, it would not appear that
there is any factor in Southgate associated with local employment
which predisposes to tuberculosis. A careful study was made of
the home condition of all the cases notified. This investigation
showed that overcrowding could not be held responsible for
infection in many cases. Only two of the houses from which a
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