[Report 1908] / Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer of Health, Southport County Borough.

  • Southport (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1908] / Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer of Health, Southport County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    No. of Deaths No. of Deaths from Total DeathsMfrom from other Tubercular all forms of] :$j Year. Consumption of Lungs. Diseases. Tubercular Disease. 1900 . 65 . 20 . 85 1901 1902 1903 1904 I9°5 1906 I9°7 1908 54 40 37 56 60 72 66 55 19 .... . 73 25 . . 65 *9 . . 56 22 .... 00 14 .... . 74 9 . . 81 2U . • . 9° 15 .... . 7° From this* table it will be noticed that while there was a steady decline in the total number of these cases during the first four years of the period covered—that is, from 1900 to 1903—during the following four years there was an increase again up to last year, which shows some improvement. Among the efforts made to check tubercular disease, especially in the form of Consumption of the Lungs, notices against spitting in public places continue to be put up in our trams, on our railway stations, and elsewhere. The milk supply is also kept under constant observation in order to prevent the milk of tuberculous cows being sold in the Borough, though fortunately there is evidence of very little of such milk coming into the Borough. Also after a death from these diseases, an offer is made by the Health Depart¬ ment in all cases to disinfect gratuitously any rooms which may have been occupied by the deceased person, and also any clothing which he or she may have used. These offers of disinfection are accepted to some extent by the public, but not to as great an extent as is desirable. The voluntary notification of Consumption of the Lungs has been in force in Southport since 1901, but has been made little use of. The large number of deaths from tubercular disease, in spite of the above precautions, is to be regretted. To> further check the disease, probably the adoption of some means of more effectually isolating the individual cases in a suitable hospital is desirable, as, apart from infection from milk and meat, it is no doubt by infection from a previous case that the large majority of cases arise, and this source, by better isolation of the individual cases, would be cut off. As a matter of experience it has been found elsewhere that where a greater number of cases of Consumption of the Lungs are treated in special hospitals, the number of cases in the district generally has diminished.