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
Harrow 1942
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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TUBERCULOSIS.
Notifications.
| New Cases | Deaths | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Notification | Brought to notice other than by Form A | Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | |||||||||
| Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | |||||||||
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | |
| Under 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1-4 | — | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5-9 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 10-14 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | _ | — | 1 |
| 15-19 | 15 | 31 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 8 | — | 1 |
| 20-24 | 26 | 35 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 6 | — | — |
| 25-34 | 37 | 42 | 7 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 13 | — | 3 |
| 35-44 | 37 | 19 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 5 | — | 1 |
| 45-54 | 21 | 12 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 4 | 1 | _ |
| 55-64 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 1 | — | — |
| 65 & up | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — |
| Total | 163 | 155 | 27 | 24 | — | — | — | — | 61 | 40 | 1 | 7 |
During the year 318 (163 male and 155 female) pulmonary cases
were notified, a slight fall on the figure of 349 for the previous year, but
still much higher than that of 226 in 1940.
The number of cases, 81 (40 and 41) of persons who transferred here
suffering from the complaint is somewhat smaller than in previous years.
Those cases about whom information is unobtainable or about whose
position there is doubt in view of their short period of residence here
numbered 73 (37 and 36). There remains the 150 (76 and 74) cases
notified for the first time this year and who, having regard to the
period of residence here before the disease manifested itself, can be assumed
to have succumbed while living here, a figure much the same as that of
159 for last year. Of these 13 per cent, of the males, but 23 per cent,
of the females, gave a close family history of tuberculous infection. The
percentage age distribution of the males was : under 14, 4 ; 15-19, 11 ; 2024,
15 ; 25-29, 8 ; 30-34, 12 ; 35-39, 12 ; 40-44, 13 ; and over 45, 24. The
proportion in those over 25 was not unlike those of last year, but the
percentages in ages 15-19 of 11 and 20-24 of 15 differed markedly from
last year's figures of 18 and 3. The percentage distribution amongst
the same age-groups of the females was 12, 24, 25, 12, 15, 4, 0 and 8.
51 notifications (27 and 24) of non-pulmonary tuberculosis were
received. Of these nine patients transferred here suffering from the
complaint; of 10 the history is unknown, leaving 32 (16 male and 16
female) who contracted the disease while resident here. Only 2 of these
gave a family history of tuberculosis. Nearly one-half suffered from bone
or joint disease and in one-third the affection was in lymph glands,
mostly cervical.