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
Stepney 1910
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stepney]
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| Arrested | 94 or 41.7 per cent. |
| Improved | 99 or 43.8 per cent. |
| Unimproved | 32 or 14.1 per cent. |
| Died | 1 or .4 per cent. 226 |
Patients are admitted in various stages of the disease, and are classified as
follows :—
Class 1.—One lobe of the lung affected. Early tuberculosis.
Class 2.—Two lobes affected. Moderately advanced.
Class 3.—Three or more lobes affected. Advanced.
The following table gives the results obtained in each class :—
| Class 1 | Class 2. | Class 3. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrested | 64 or 72 per cent. | 24 39 per cent. | 6 or 8 per cent. |
| Improved | 23 or 26 | 31 51 ,, | 45 or 59 ,, |
| Unimproved | 2 or 2 „ | 6 10 ,, | 24 or 31.5 ,, |
| Died | — | - | 1 or 1.5 ,, |
| 89 | 61 | 70 |
As is always the case, the results obtained are far better when the disease is
in an early stage than when it is advanced, and the urgent need for early diagnosis
and treatment is thus demonstrated.
If we exclude the patients in the third class, it will be found that 95 per cent,
of the patients improve more or less during their stay.
The length of stay of the patients is again longer than that obtained at most
sanatoria for the working classes, as the average is 13 weeks G days, and, excluding
those patients discharged at the end of a month as unsuitable, the average is 15 weeks.
The average gain in weight was 10 lbs. 12 oz., being 4 oz. more then the previous
year.
In Class 1, the average gain was 12 lb. 11 oz.
In Class 2, the average gain was 12 lb. 1 oz.
In Class 3, the average gain was 7 lb. 8 oz.