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
Southgate 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southgate]
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A broad classification of the cases notified during the past five
years in relation to employment was :—
| 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clerical | 19 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 5 |
| Housewives | 10 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Children | 5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Manual Labour | 5 | 8 | 6 | — | 8 |
| Factory Workers | — | 5 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| Professional Classes | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Armed Forces | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Domestic Service | 1 | — | 3 | — | — |
| Food Trades | — | — | — | 2 | — |
| Students | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Shop Assistants | 4 | 1 | — | 3 | 4 |
| Nurses | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Non-manual Trades, other than food | 15 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 4 |
| Teachers | 2 | — | - | — | 2 |
| Unclassified | 8 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| 79 | 65 | 42 | 47' | 49 |
It is interesting to note from the table set out above that the
number of tuberculosis cases occurring in clerical workers has fallen
steadily over the past five years. It is doubtful whether tl>ns has
any real significence, because of the small numbers involved. The
same remarks apply to the decrease in tuberculosis among housewives.
So far as clerical workers are concerned, of course, the
difficulties in drawing any worth-while conclusions are increased
when it is remembered that many of these individuals probably do
not work within the Borough. The low incidence of tuberculoisis
among shop assistants, consistent over the past five years, is at least
encouraging. The fact that so few nurses develop tuberculosis may
not be signficant so far as Southgate is concerned, but here it must
be remembered that the extensive national schemes for B.C.G.
vaccination are having a beneficial effect.
It will already be known that the Middlesex County Council
has instituted a scheme for B.C.G. vaccination of children in the 13
year age-group. Two schemes were prepared in the early part of
1956, and were put into effect for the first time in the Autumn of
the same year. The first scheme was carried out as part of a Medical
Research Council investigation, designed to assess the relative values
of freese-dried and liquid vaccine. The purpose and details of this
investigation were fully explained to the Southgate Education Committee,
so that the objects of the scheme would be fully appreciated.
It must not be thought that some children were given an inferior
or unsatisfactory product. The Medical Research Council merely
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