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
Lambeth 1944
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lambeth Borough]
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21
The number of cases dealt with continued to increase up to the
end of July, 1944. Lambeth Hospital received a direct hit by a
flying bomb early in that month when the maternity wing had to
be closed. The effect of this was added to the general exodus of
the young population causing the numbers to fall.
Disinfecting Department.
2,082 rooms and 2,922 articles of bedding were disinfected during
the year, among them being the rooms and articles used by the
855 cases of various forms of infectious disease taken to hospital;
474 certificates of disinfection were issued, and 250 library books
dealt with from the 5,343 premises visited during the year. The
clean van was used regularly for the delivery of stores to the wartime
nurseries which reached the Town Hall in bulk from the
various firms supplying the Ministry of Health.
| Specimen | Negative | Positive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swab for or suspected cases of Diphtheria | 694 | 28 | 912 |
| Sputum for suspected cases of Tuberculosis | 598 | 94 | 692 |
| Blood for suspected cases of Typhoid or Paratyphoid fever | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Miscellaneous | 98 | 31 | 129 |
| 1,394 | 154 | 1,538 | |
| The miscellaneous specimens consisted of 40 urines, 77 swabs for hæmolytic streptococci, 10 swabs or smears from eye or vagina for gonorrhœa, and 2 fæces. | |||