London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kingston upon Thames 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kingston-upon-Thames]
This page requires JavaScript
58
Whilst we can claim that fear and pessimism, concerning tuberculosis
has been largely removed from people's minds; that statistics
show a declining death rate and a satisfactory reduction in the
number of new cases there are, however,, many cases on the register
receiving treatment and attention at the Chest Clinic,
It is, therefore, necessary, to remember that breakdown and infectivity
are continually possible in these cases, It is to be hoped
that in due course continued effects of improved living conditions of
the populace, continued advances in therapeutic treatment, facility
for early detection of tuberculosis by public mass x-ray sessions and
B,C,G, vaccination of school children will eventually bring this
disease to the point of eradication,
The following table shows comparative figures of notified cases and deaths for the years 1953 to 1962 (inclusive):-
| Year | Cases Notified | Deaths | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory | Non-Respiratory | Total | Respiratory | Non-Respiratory | Total | |
| 1953 | 37 | 5 | 42 | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| 1954 | 26 | 4 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 1955 | 14 | 6 | 20 | 6 | 6 | |
| 1956 | 25 | 2 | 27 | 2 | - | 2 |
| 1957 | 26 | 1 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 1958 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 1959 | 18 | 1 | 19 | 3 | - | 3 |
| 1960 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 3 | - | 3 |
| 1961 | 13 | 1 | 14 | 2 | - | 2 |
| 1962 | 20 | - | 20 | 2 | - | 2 |
The efficiency of notification has been good and there is no
reason to suspect refusal or neglect to notify,
Throughout the year no action became necessary under the Public
Health (Prevention of Tuberculosis) Regulations 1925, or Section 172
of the Public Health Act, 1936, These regulations respectively relate
to the restriction of tuberculosis sufferers from employment in
the handling of milk, and the compulsory removal to hospital in
certain circumstances of persons suffering from tuberculosis,