[Report 1956] / Medical Officer of Health, Slough Borough.
- Slough Borough Council
- Date:
- 1956
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1956] / Medical Officer of Health, Slough Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![The great majority of new cases in 1956 were discovered early enough for the disease still to be in the non-infectious state and, in a considerable proportion, the source of in¬ fection 'ffa.s easily traceable. Not only are cases now being notified much earlier and often before the disease has be¬ come infectious but infectious cases are usually rendered harmless quite rapidly by modern drug treatment. There has been quite a noticeable decrease in demands on hospital beds during the past year or two and many more cases are now treated at home. On the whole this is a very laudable tendency but there is a real danger that patients will look upon tuberculosis as a disease which can be easily cured and that nothing more is needed to put them right than a few pills or powders. Such beliefs are dangerous and every- thing possible should be done to prevent the spread of this attitude which may lead to pressure being placed upon doctors to leave patients at home when they should be in hospital. For doctors to be persuaded against their better judgment to agree to home treatment could lead not only to greater eventual length of treatment required for the patient himself but also to increased risk of infection to others coming into contact with him. In essence I believe that 1956 has given hope that pulmonary tuberculosis may be a disappearing disease in this area but with this hope must go the realisation that the disease has not yet disappeared and that the fullest co¬ operation between doctors, patients and the community as a whole is still necessary if the disease is to be eliminated at the earliest possible opportunity. The number of new cases of non-pulmonary disease, however, was still disappointingly high. Age in Years. Pulmonary Non-Pu] Lmonary Males Females Males Females 0- 1- 1 * 5- 2 - 1 - 15- 5 6 1 2 25- 7 9 1 2 35- 9 4 2 1 45- 3 3 - 1 55- 3 1 1 - 56 and over 3 1 - - TOTAL 32 25 6 6](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30090489_0035.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
