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
Merton and Morden 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton & Morden]
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The incidence of notified tuberculosis on the St. Helier
Estate at mid-year was 11.35 per 1,000 population and that in
the rest of the district 5.5 per 1,000 population.
The Anti-Tuberculosis Scheme in this district is administered
by the County Council. Institutional treatment was
provided for 159 persons from Merton and Morden as
follows:—
At the County Sanatorium, Milford 47
At other Institutions 112
159
The deaths from tuberculosis number 54 of which 50 were
due to pulmonary and 4 to non-pulmonary disease. The
death-rate for pulmonary tuberculosis was 0.72 per 1,000
population compared with 0.50 in the year before. The deaths
are classified by age and sex in Table XXXV.
TABLE XXXV.
DEATHS DUE TO TUBERCULOSIS, 1938.
| Ages Years. | Pulmonary. | Non-Pulmonary. | Totals. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males. | Females. | Males. | Females. | ||
| 0— | _ | _ | _ | _ | — |
| 1— | 1 | — | — | 2 | 3 |
| 5— | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| 15— | 3 | 4 | — | 1 | 8 |
| 25— | 5 | 2 | — | 1 | 8 |
| 35— | 4 | 9 | — | — | 13 |
| 45— | 7 | 4 | — | — | 11 |
| 55— | 2 | 2 | — | — | 4 |
| 65— | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 5 |
| Totals | 23 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 53 |
Eight deaths equivalent to 14% of the total were in unnotified
eases.
The District provides a free service for the examination
of sputum for tubercle bacilli. During the year 118 specimens
were examined with a positive result in 15 instances.
No action was taken under the Public Health (Prevention
of Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1925, which gives power to prohibit
the handling of milk by infectious tuberculous persons,
nor under Section 172 of the Public Health Act, 1936, which
provides for the removal of an infectious person to hospital.
75