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
Deptford 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Deptford Borough]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASES
General
The total number of notifiable infectious diseases showed an increase
of 738. This increase was more than accounted for in the increase of
Measles notifications by 683 and Whooping Cough by 87. There were
no deaths due to either Measles or Whooping Cough.
Sonné Dysentery continued to be troublesome from time to time, but
close co-operation by the Public Health Department Staff with local
medical practitioners and school authorities, in addition to personal
hygiene education by the Public Health Inspector concerned, kept the
outbreaks to a minimum. A total of 1,388 visits in this connection was
paid by the Public Health Inspector.
There was no significant alteration in the numbers of the Infectious
Diseases as compared with the previous year.
Infectious Diseases. Corrected Notifications.
| 0-1 years | 1-2 years | 2-5 years | 5-15 years | 15-25 years | 25-45 years | 45-65 years | Over 65 years | Total | Deaths. | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | |||
| Scarlet Fever | 1 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 20 | 23 | 1 | 64 | |||||||||
| Erysipelas | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Dysentery | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 114 | |
| Acute Pneumonia | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 43 | 59* | |||||
| Measles | 13 | 18 | 50 | 47 | 141 | 165 | 194 | 173 | 2 | 2 | 805 | |||||||
| Whooping Cough | 8 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 26 | 20 | 37 | 34 | 3 | 144 | ||||||||
| Scabies | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Zymotic Enteritis | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| Poliomyelitis | p | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| TOTALS | 25 | 28 | 58 | 64 | 189 | 204 | 264 | 247 | 11 | 16 | 17 | 26 | L 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 1186 | 59* |
No cases of anthrax, cerebro-spinal meningitis, diphtheria, puerperal pyrexia, meningococcal
infection, ophthalmia neonatorum, food poisoning, smallpox, or typhoid fever were notified
during the year.
* Includes all forms of pneumonia.
Tuberculosis
All new cases in the Borough, whether or not they are transferred from
other areas, are visited by the Public Health Inspectors in order to ascertain
the housing conditions and to see if any improvements can, or should,
be effected.
There was a decrease of 8 in the number of cases of Pulmonary
Tuberculosis notified for the first time (2 male and 6 female) and the
number of deaths due to respiratory tuberculosis in Deptford in 1959
was again low, i.e., 10 males and 3 females. Of the deaths from respiratory
tuberculosis 6 of the male deaths and 1 female death were of persons
between the ages of 15 and 65 years, whereas of the deaths from all
causes, only about 30% were within this age group.
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