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
Woolwich 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]
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| Year | Estimated Civilian Population excluding Army | Primary Notifications | Deaths from Tuberculosis | Deaths per 1,000 of population | Total Deaths all causes | Percentage of Tuberculosis Deaths against all Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | 112,700 | 292 | 102 | .90 | 1,558 | 6.5 |
| 1944 | 110,970 | 248 | 100 | .90 | 1,611 | 6.2 |
| 1945 | 115,270 | 260 | 90 | .70 | 1,478 | 60 |
| 1946 | 134,420 | 247 | 83 | .61 | 1,531 | 5.4 |
| 1947 | 140,150 | 297 | 101 | .72 | 1,626 | 6.2 |
| 1948 | 142,800 | 230 | 82 | .57 | 1,573 | 5.2 |
| 1949 | 144,000 | 256 | 59 | .41 | 1,572 | 3.7 |
| 1950 | 144,000 | 205 | 58 | .40 | 1,670 | 3.4 |
| 1951 | 144,000 | 246 | 57 | .39 | 1,838 | 31 |
| 1952 | 146,000 | 195 | 39 | .26 | 1,667 | 2.3 |
| 1953 | 146,000 | 156 | 29 | .20 | 1,569 | 1.8 |
| 1954 | 145,000 | 200 | 21 | .14 | 1,443 | 1.4 |
Duties concerned with the prevention of the spread of infection are carried out
by the Public Health Department, and for this purpose Medical Practitioners notify
all new cases coming to their knowledge. Duties regarding investigation and
treatment are carried out by the local Chest Clinics, which are situated at Maxey
Road, Plumstead, and at Carnegie Gardens, Eltham; being administered by the
Regional Hospital Board.
Prevention of Tuberculosis.
During the year local authorities were informed by the Minister of Health that
the rapid decline in the death rate from tuberculosis in recent years has not been
accompanied by a corresponding decline in notifications, and that this indicates a
need for intensifying further preventive measures.
It is stressed that completeness of notification of all detected cases is an essential
to success in prevention of the disease.
The Ministry's memorandum states that the prevention of active cases requires
both the reduction of risk from infection and the enhancement, if possible, of resistance
of the individual. Therefore, preventive measures to be taken are concerned
firstly with the individual case discovered, secondly with the contacts of that person,
and thirdly with such general preventive measures as are provided by B.C.G.
vaccination or by radiographic or skin test surveys for the ascertainment of infected
persons.
The tracing of contacts of patients has long been an important function of the
staff of the Chest Clinics. The memorandum stresses that not only should all
contacts be traced more actively than they are in many areas at the present time,
but that they should be examined and kept under supervision for the requisite period.
Whilst it was not, of course, always possible to isolate an infected person
ideally until he ceased to be infective, nevertheless any patient retained at home
should be isolated at least to the extent of sleeping alone, and this might require
action to secure better housing of the family, or in suitable cases of isolation of
the patient in a chalet in his own garden.
Regarding home conditions, the Ministry's memorandum states that it is
essential that the Medical Officer of Health and his staff should have detailed
knowledge of the home conditions of all persons in the area suffering from tuberculosis,
for without such information the Medical Officer of Health cannot properlv
advise his Council on housing requirements.
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