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93. The subject of compulsory notification has been considered
by the London County Council and some of the Borough Councils
during the year. Opinion in favour of this step is steadily growing,
as it is seen that notification does not interfere with the
patient's carrying on his occupation but on the other hand enables
him to do so with greater safety. Hitherto the Authorities of
Consumption Hospitals have disregarded requests for notifying the
cases treated by them, but a system of notification is now being
arranged at the Victoria Park Hospital, and it is hoped other
Consumption Hospitals will follow the example. Besides making
notification of Phthisis compulsory, it is desirable also to make
compulsory the removal to hospital of patients who are without
proper lodging accommodation. This could be done by application
of S. 66 of the Public Health (London) Act. This would
prevent consumptives being kept at home under conditions in
which infection of the family is almost sure to ensue.
94. Twenty-two spitting-flasks were supplied at cost price,
(5d.). compared with 23, 35 and 14 in the three previous years.
Cancer.
95. There were 115 cases of cancer (malignant tumours),
giving a death-rate of 0'90, compared with 0·70, 0·83, 0·75, 0·74
and 0·70 in the five preceding years. Fifty-nine of the deaths
were in males and 56 in females. 76 of the deaths were in persons
over 55. The highest mortality was in Burrage Ward,
probably because this ward contains a large proportion of elderly
persons.
The London death-rate was 1·04.
96. The following table shows the sex and region affected of
all the cases of malignant disease.