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
Lewisham 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham Borough]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Number of notified cases (corrected for revised diagnosis) during the year 1957 with comparative figures for the previous six years.
Table 41
| Diseases | Cases notified | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 1956 | 1955 | 1954 | 1953 | 1952 | 1951 | |
| Diphtheria | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - |
| Dysentery | 129 | 579 | 92 | 394 | 84 | 169 | 365 |
| Encephalitis (acute) | 2 | 2 | — | — | 3 | — | 5 |
| Enteric or typhoid fever | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 4 |
| Erysipelas | 15 | 20 | 26 | 24 | 18 | 19 | 24 |
| Food poisoning | 42 | 46 | 48 | 110 | 32 | 33 | 26 |
| Malaria | — | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Measles | 2728 | 206 | 3905 | 521 | 2082 | 2183 | 2546 |
| Meningococcal infection | 4 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 6 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Pneumonia | 96 | 89 | 121 | 77 | 189 | 89 | 173 |
| Poliomyelitis (acute) | 15 | 26 | 63 | 16 | 52 | 15 | 11 |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 93 | 57 | 92 | 59 | 57 | 88 | 63 |
| Scabies | 18 | 29 | 18 | 14 | 5 | 18 | 21 |
| Scarlet fever | 143 | 188 | 158 | 331 | 283 | 379 | 215 |
| Tuberculosis | 247 | 212 | 271 | 256 | 341 | 307 | 299 |
| Whooping cough | 225 | 241 | 412 | 449 | 574 | 512 | 819 |
| TOTALS | 3761 | 1709 | 5217 | 2263 | 3738 | 3822 | 5581 |
SECTION F — PREVALENCE OF and CONTROL OVER
INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES
PRINCIPAL NOTIFIABLE DISEASES
The undermentioned diseases are notifiable by medical practitioners to the
Medical Officer of Health:—
Anthrax Ophthalmia neonatorum
Cholera Plague
Diphtheria Pneumonia, acute influenzal
Dysentery (bacillary or amoebic) Pneumonia, acute primary
Encephalitis, acute Poliomyelitis, acute
Enteric fever Puerperal pyrexia
Erysipelas Relapsing fever
Food poisoning Scabies
Glanders Scarlet fever
Hydrophobia Smallpox
Malaria Tuberculosis, all forms
Measles Typhoid fever, including paratyphoid
Membranous croup Typhus fever
Meningococcal infection Whooping cough