[Report 1931] / Medical Officer of Health, Somerset County Council.

  • Somerset (England). County Council.
Date:
1931
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1931] / Medical Officer of Health, Somerset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/54 (page 12)
    Tuberculosis Officer’s Clinical Report for 1931. The year 1931 was not a very good one from the point of view of the tuberculosis patient and there was a slight increase in the number of deaths. This increase was all on the “ non-PuImonary ” side, the deaths from Pulmonary Tuberculosis being the same as last year, which was the lowest number ever recorded in Somerset. As regards the cases which were notified for the first time, there was a considerable increase in those found to be suffering from bone and joint lesions and from abdominal tuberculosis, but there was a still greater decrease in the pulmonary cases, which is encouraging from the point of view of the risk of infection to others. The age period “20 to 25 ” was again the “ danger period ’’ as regards discovery of the disease. For some years past the average age has been rising slowly, and a new problem is developing as persons in this new “ danger period ’’ are more difficult to keep under supervision than they were in earlier years. The number of cases found suitable for treatment by Artificial Pneumothorax has increased, and while this treatment is tedious and takes up a considerable amount of time, it is certainly proving valuable, especially in cases whose outlook with any other treatment would be bad. The primary induction is usually performed by Dr. Martyn at Quantock Sanatorium, but the “ refills ” are being carried out at the Tuberculosis Dispensaries. It is necessary to have X-ray control of the patient’s chest throughout the long course of the treatment and this is a somewhat serious difficulty in Somerset. The County Tuberculosis Staff have been able to co-operate with the medical practitioners of the County very effectively, and this has been to the increasing benefit of the patients themselves as well as the Tuberculosis Scheme. The Tuberculosis Officers are being used as consultants more freely every year, in doubtful and difficult cases. The County Sanatoria continued their invaluable work, both for early and advanced cases, and the voluntary Care Committees have again given generously of their time and money to enable patients to take advantage of treatment offered them. The new cases seen numbered 1,435, and they were classified as follows:— Pulmonary Tuberculosis. T.B. Negative 207 T.B. Positive Stage 1 6 T.B. Positive Stage 2 102 T.B. Positive Stage 3 35 350 Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis. Bones and Joints 30 Abdominal 13 Other Organs 6 Peripheral Glands 44 93 Not Tuberculous 981 Diagnosis not completed on 31st December, 1931 n 1,435 L. J. SHORT.