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

Merton 1966

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton]

This page requires JavaScript

Text

Copy text to clipboard

TUBERCULOSIS
There are three chest clinics serving the Borough. All are based
at Cumberland Hospital, Mitcham. At these clinics the Tuberculosis
Health Visitors assist the Chest Physicians, and help and advise the
patients. They do Mantoux tests and follow-up contacts on patients
who fail to attend. During 1966 the case load of Tuberculosis Health
Visitors was as follows:—
Tuberculous cases 617
Lung carcinoma cases 37
Other cases (bronchitis, bronchiectasis, etc.) 42

Table: The new cases examined at the Chest Clinics in 1966 are analysed in the table below:—

The new cases examined at the Chest Clinics in 1966 are analysed in the table below:—

RespiratoryNon-RespiratoryTotal
MFUnder 15 yrs.MFUnder 15 yrs.
Diagnosed Tuberculous201151——37
Non Tuberculous41927595———789

Text

Copy text to clipboard

Domiciliary Visiting
Home visiting is very important. Chest patients have many
queries and difficulties which the Tuberculosis Health Visitor helps
to solve, and she also gives advice on matters of hygiene and the essential
examination of contacts. The number of tuberculosis households
visited during the year was 567.
Details of domiciliary visiting by Health Visitors are given
below:—
Visits in connection with old cases 981
Visits in connection with new cases 34
Visits in connection with contacts 142
Total 1157
B.C.G. Vaccination
During the year B.C.G. inoculation of school children in the
thirteen-year-old age group was carried out: —
Number of children skin tested 1774
Number found negative 1640
Number vaccinated with B.C.G 1631
No children with positive skin tests were known to be contacts
with notified cases of tuberculosis.
One hundred and eleven of the children with positive skin tests
were X-rayed. No case of active disease was found.
21