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
Kensington 1927
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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The "suspect" cases shown above include all cases not diagnosed in the first instance as either
definitely tuberculous or non-tuberculous; to these must be added 31 left on the Dispensary books
at the end of 1926, making a total of 109.
The subsequent disposal of these 109 was as follows:—
| Diagnosed subsequently as suffering from respiratory tuberculosis | 4 |
| Diagnosed subsequently as suffering from non-respiratory tuberculosis | 3 |
| Discharged finally as non-tubercular | 79 |
| Discharged as having ceased attendance | 9 |
| Died (malignant disease) | 1 |
| Remaining on books on 31st December, 1927 | 13 |
Cases came to the Dispensary of their own accord or were sent up through one of the following
agencies: the Public Health Department of the Council, the Ministry of Pensions, Hospitals, School
Medical Officers, the Kensington Board of Guardians, the Invalid Children's Aid Association, the
Charity Organisation Society, Clergy and private practitioners.
The treatment recommended for the cases diagnosed at the Dispensary as suffering from
tuberculosis, which numbered 132 (pulmonary 100 and 32 non-pulmonary), was as follows:—Sanatoria,
36; Domiciliary, 24; St. Mary Abbots Hospital, 23; Dispensary, 30; Hospitals, 5; Kensal
House School, 2; Convalescence, 2. No special treatment was required in 10 cases beyond general
advice and instruction to report at the Dispensary if necessary.
The total number of attendances by patients at the Dispensary was 2,927 and 1,653 systematic
examinations were made.
The number of visits paid by the Tuberculosis Officer was 109, of which 26 were consultations
at home with the doctor in charge of the case.
Written reports on cases to Public Authorities numbered 1,201 and to doctors 415.
The total number of sputum examinations was 499 (including 72 specimens sent up by doctors)
from 425 individual cases. One hundred and thirty-four specimens showed tubercle bacilli to be
present and 365 gave negative results. Of the 100 new cases with respiratory tuberculosis there
were 74 with tubercle bacilli in the sputum.
The following table shows the number of cases of tuberculosis on the Register of Notifications on 1st January, 1927, the number of cases removed from the Register on account of their having been cured or having removed from the district or having died, the number of cases added to the Register during the year and the number of cases remaining thereon on 31st December, 1927.
| Pulmonary. | Non-Pulmonary. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | Females | Males | Females | |
| No. of cases on the Register of Notifications on 1st January | 1,140 | 1,218 | 547 | 545 |
| No. of cases notified for the first time during the year | 88 | 90 | 33 | 41 |
| No. of cases brought to notice otherwise than by notification | 15 | 9 | 8 | 4 |
| No. of cases removed from the Register during the year on account of having:— | ||||
| 69 | 74 | 24 | 22 | |
| (b) removed from district | 40 | 25 | 5 | 8 |
| (c) died | 75 | 48 | 9 | 11 |
| 2 | 1 | — | 1 | |
| No, of cases remaining on the Register on 31st December | 1,057 | 1,169 | 550 | 548 |
The number of patients on the Dispensary Register on December 31st, 1927, was 859, whilst
at the beginning of the year they numbered 1,253. This considerable reduction was brought about
by a thorough overhauling of the register and the removal therefrom of those cases that had not
attended for several years, as well as those who have been cured, removed from the district, died,
or been lost sight of and proved untraceable over a minimum period of two years.
Residential Institutional Treatment.
Under the scheme for the treatment of tuberculosis in London, the London County Council
provide all the beds required for residential institutional treatment except those available in Poor
Law Infirmaries.