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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 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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TUBERCULOSIS
Notification.
The following table sets out the age and sex distribution of the patients who were notified in this district for the first time in 1951:—
| Primary Notification | Brought to notice other than on Form A | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulmonary | Non-pulmonary | Pulmonary | Non-pulmonary | |||||
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | |
| Under 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1- 4 | 6 | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 5- 9 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 |
| 10-14 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 15-19 | 14 | 18 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — |
| 20-24 | 21 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | — | — |
| 25-34 | 37 | 40 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| 35-44 | 29 | 13 | — | 3 | 10 | 1 | — | — |
| 45-54 | 28 | 10 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 55-64 | 13 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| 65 and over | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | _ | 1 | — |
| Age uknown | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| 165 | 124 | 11 | 17 | 25 | 16 | 3 | 4 | |
It was pleasing to be able to report that for the year 1950 the number
of new cases learned of was less than the number for the previous year,
this being the first time there had been a fall since the disquieting rise
in the numbers of notifications which took place during the war years.
As contrasted with the figure of 439 in 1949, the number in 1950 was
only 370. It is gratifying to be able to record a further fall even though
it is not on the same scale, as only 358 cases were brought to notice last
year. 30 of these notifications were the result of detection of the disease
by the examination of some of the population by the Mass X-ray Unit.
Of the 326 pulmonary cases, 80 were already suffering from the
disease before they moved into this district. Of these, 12 were persons
who came to live in London County Council houses. Five men were
recognised to be suffering from the disease while they were serving in
the Forces. Of the 116 males who contracted the infection while living in
the district, 29 gave a family history of tuberculosis, a percentage of 24.
The corresponding figure for females was 28.
Of the 32 persons notified as suffering from non-pulmonary tuberculosis,
at least nine had contracted the infection before coming to live
here. Of those who were living here, where presumably they contracted
the infection, five gave a history of contact with a relative at home.
Although the number of cases notified each year has been falling,
the number is still much more than the pre-war figures. The figures
for this last year mean that new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis were
brought to light at the rate of one case a day—and this in a district which on