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
Walthamstow 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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The period elapsing between notification and death and the number of cases not notified were as follows :—
| Under 3 months. | 3 to 6 months. | 6 to 9 months. | 9 to 12 months. | Over 12 months. | Not notified. | Notified after death. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pul. | NonPul. | Pul. | NonPul. | Pul. | NonPul. | Pul. | NonPul. | Pul. | NonPul. | Pul. | NonPul. | Pul. | NonPul. |
| 1 | 1 | _ | - | - | — | 1 | - | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 |
Non-Notification of Tuberculosis
During 1954 there was no failure to notify tuberculosis before
death from that cause, but in 1955 there were three. Details are
as follows :—-
Case 1. Female, aged 80 years : died in hospital in the provinces
from senility and tuberculous
polyarthritis.
Case 2. Female, aged 67 years : died en route to hospital from
recrudescent pulmonary tuber'
culosis. Post mortem showed
old bronchitis with recent
tuberculosis and death followed
the onset of pulmonary
oedema.
Case 3. Male, aged 89 years : died in hospital two days after
admission from cardiac failure
and cavitating tuberculosis of
the lungs (P.M.).
It is still not sufficiently known that according to the series of
regulations on the subject through the years since 1913, a case of
tuberculosis should be notified in each sanitary district; moreover,
the latest regulations (those of 1952) omit for the first time the
previous proviso which excused the doctor knowing of a case from
notifying if he had reason to believe it had already been notified.
It has recently been stated that the number of unknown and
non-notified infective cases of tuberculosis may be larger than the
number of known infective cases.