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
West Ham 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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Out of the total of 15,720 examinations performed In West Ham 6,448 took place
during a Public Survey carried out at the Town Hall, Stratford, from the 4th to the 30th
August, 1955, for which the usual propaganda and publicity measures were undertaken in
co-operation with the Unit.
Special sessions were arranged for members of the Council's staff, who were given
every encouragement to attend and were released for this purpose during office hours. It
is particularly Important that those whose duties bring them into close contact with children
should be x-rayed annually; and although it is not an actual condition of service, every
endeavour was made to induce them to attend. For similar reasons 170 new entrants to the
Council's staff - mostly to posts within the various services for children - were x-rayed
during the year, either through the courtesy of the mass radiography unit or the hospital
x-ray departments.
The main statistical details of the survey are as follows:-
(a) Groups examined.
| Males | Females | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Factories and Firms | 1687 | 992 | 2679 |
| General Public | 1494 | 2144 | 3638 |
| Doctors Referrals | 54 | 77 | 131 |
| (b) Abnormal findings. | |||
| Males | Females | Total. | |
| Active Tuberculosis | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| Inactive Tuberculosis | 76 | 54 | 130 |
| Carcinoma of Bronchus | 14 | 1 | 15 |
| Other Conditions. | 120 | 105 | 225 |
(c) Comments. There were thus 14 cases of active tuberculosis disclosed by the Survey In
6448 examinations, a rate of 2.17 per 1000 examined. This is about average for the area
covered by this Unit. The rate per 1000 for inactive tuberculosis was 20.16, and for
Carcinoma of the bronchus 2.33.
Although similar detailed statistical figures are not available for the other surveys
carried out in the Borough during the year, the Annual Report of the Mass Radiography Unit
shows that in its whole area the incidence of active tuberculosis found in expectant mothers
was 1.26 per 1,000 - happily, a comparatively low figure - the incidence in the general public
1.79 per 1,000, and in factory and office workers 1.17 per 1,000. Once again the incidence
of active tuberculosis found in cases referred by general practitioners to the Unit for chest
x-ray examinations yielded the highest figure (as was to be expected) of 10.29 per 1,000 cases
referred.
The arrangements for the follow-up x-rays of those school children who had taken part
in the Medical Research Council trials of B.C.G. vaccination continued as in previous years.
Any cases found as a result of these trials were referred to the Chest Physician and dealt with
in the usual manner.
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