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
Chingford 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Chingford]
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29
Pulmonary Tuberculosis.
There were 51 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis notified
during 1937, an increase of eleven over the previous year.
Before drawing conclusions from this, however, it must be
remembered that several factors may influence the number of
notifications in any district: —
(1) Transfers. A case of tuberculosis previously notified
in one area must be re-notified on moving to another district.
Clearly there will be a tendency for healthy areas outside
London to attract sufferers from the disease from districts where
the conditions are less favourable. It will be seen from the
following table that 21 per cent, of the cases on the register on
December 31st, 1937, were transfers from other districts.
ANALYSIS OF CASES OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS ON
REGISTER ON 31st DECEMBER, 1937.
Notified for first time in Chingford. Transfers from other districts.
Total.
93 25 (21%) 118
(2) The notification rate depends also to some extent on the
efficiency of the medical practitioners in the district and of the
local tuberculosis service. There is little doubt that both these factors are tending in Chingford to increase the number of notifications and there seems no reason for supposing that changes in the social conditions of the district, such as overcrowding or poverty, have played any part in the increase.
| Age periods. | NEW CASES. | DEATHS. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory. | Non-Respiratory. | Respiratory. | Non-Respiratory. | |||||
| M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | |
| 0 to 1 year | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
| 1 to 4 years | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 5 to 14 years | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 15 to 24 years | 2 | 5 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| 25 to 34 years | 8 | 13 | 1 | — | 4 | 2 | — | — |
| 35 to 44 years | 2 | 7 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1 |
| 45 to 54 years | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — |
| 55 to 64 years | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| 65 and upwards | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Totals | 21 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 |