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 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southgate]
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A broad classification of the cases of tuberculosis notified during the past five years in relation to employment was:
| 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clerical | 12 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Housewives | 5 | 3 | 5 | — | 3 |
| Children | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — |
| Manual Labour | — | 8 | 5 | 3 | — |
| Factory Workers | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | — |
| Professional Classes | 3 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 1 |
| Armed Forces | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Domestic Service | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Food Trades | 2 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Students | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 |
| Shop Assistants | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — |
| Nurses | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Non manual trades other than food | 7 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Teachers | — | 2 | — | — | 3 |
| Unclassified | 5 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 7 |
| 47 | 49 | 42 | 30 | 25 |
I have already mentioned the fact that tuberculosis notifications
have shown a steady drop over the past few years. This is highly
satisfactory, although it must be admitted that the figures involved
are too small to carry any great significance.
Our scheme for the B.C.G. vaccination of Southgate school
children continues, and is working very well. As I explained in
my Annual Report for 1958, of course, this work is undertaken
by the School Health Service.
Mass X-Ray Unit 5B did not visit Southgate during 1959. As
Southgate cannot be said to be a district in which tuberculosis
present a very serious problem, it is doubtful whether we can
expect a visit from the Mass Radiography Unit more than once
every three years. We therefore hope that arrangements can be
made for the Unit to visit Southgate during 1961.
Satisfactory as the infectious diseases picture is, not only in
Southgate but throughout the country as a whole, few Medical
Officers of Health are entirely happy on the question of notification.
Notification is and must remain an essential part of our defence
mechanics against the spread of infectious diseases. But times
change, and infectious diseases with them. Recommendations have
been made by the Public Health Committee of the British Medical
Association and by the Society of Medical Officers of Health,
relating to suggested changes in the general pattern of notification,
designed to bring our procedure into line with modern conditions.
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