London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Woolwich 1917

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]

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57. The decrease of deaths from tuberculous meningitis was
maintained, and the deaths from simple meningitis and abdominal
tuberculosis were the fewest recorded.
58. Notification Statistics. 543 cases were notified
(excluding second notifications), viz., Tubercle of lung, 448;
tuberculous meningitis, 12; tuberculosis of the intestines and
peritoneum. 6; other forms, 74; Larynx, 3.
The 448 cases of phthisis compare with 532, 400, 420
and 392 in the four preceding years. 32 of these were in the
Woolwich and Eltham Poor Law Infirmaries; 2 others were notified
by the District Medical Officers of the Poor Law Union,
33 by the Medical Officers of the Royal Arsenal and Army, 252
from hospitals and dispensaries, including 221 from the Woolwich
Tuberculosis Dispensary, and the remainder by private
medical practitioners.
£13. 3. 9 was paid during the year for the notification
of tuberculosis.
59. Duration. Of the 543 cases notified during 1917,
at least 93 have since died, and of 469 cases notified during
1916, at least 136 have since died (February, 1918).

60. The source of infection of the notified cases was probably as follows:-

Family or personal:-
Father30
Mother31
brother25
wife1
son2
daughter3
sister14
hu sband4
members of family not defined12122
Workshop and Office4
Navy and Army26
Public House4
Undetermined387

61. Age and Sex Distribution. The following table, required
by the Local Government Board, gives the age and sex
distribution of pulmonary and non-pulmonary cases, and shews
also the source of notification:-
21