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
East Ham 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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national, and much may be expected in the future from the
crusade against this disease, but I still express the opinion I have
held for a number of years—that the only way to stamp out the
disease is by the isolation of advanced cases in Hospitals, where
they should be kept, if possible, until death takes place. Much
has been done in the past by Poor Law Authorities, but so
many patients now object to be sent into the Infirmaries.
One of the constant difficulties in dealing with patients after
discharge from the sanatoriums is to find them suitable work and
sufficient food. In a large number of cases the employers refuse
to take them back to their usual work, and the benefit derived
from the treatment is soon lost and the disease breaks out afresh.
The number of deaths and death-rate from all forms of this disease for the past five years are given in the following table:—
| Year. | Estimated Population. | No. of Deaths. | Death-rate per 1,000 of Population. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | 126,754 | 149 | 1.18 |
| 1910 | 130,196 | 163 | 1.25 |
| 1911 | 134,441 | 164 | 1.22 |
| 1912 | 138,450 | 190 | 1.37 |
| 1913 | 142,467 | 168* | 1.18 |
Under the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1912,
every form of Tuberculosis has now to be notified.
Extract from Local Government Board Circular.
December 30th, 1912.
Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Child Mortality.
" The new Regulations apply to non-pulmonary as well as to
pulmonary tuberculosis. More than half the deaths from nonpulmonary
tuberculosis are of children under five years of age,
and it is probable that a much higher percentage of the total
number of persons suffering from non-pulmonary tuberculosis are
children of this age. It is hoped that notification of these cases
will facilitate the investigation of sources of infection and assist
in securing improvement in the conditions under which the
children live.