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
London County Council 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Table 23.
| Year. | Diphtheria. | Scarlet fever. | Measles and German measles. | Whooping-cough. | Chicken-pox. | Mumps. | Scabies. | Ophthalmia. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | 5,081 | 7,462 | 19,313 | 12,076 | 12,346 | 14,010 | 932 | 644 |
| 1930 | 5,297 | 7,558 | 34,251 | 3,239 | 13,573 | 9,439 | 930 | 506 |
| 1931 | 3,202 | 5,626 | 3,811 | 9,019 | 13,598 | 5,685 | 1,068 | 889 |
| 1932 | 3,338 | 6,832 | 34,922 | 7,624 | 11,440 | 8,016 | 1,160 | 649 |
| 1933 | 4,446 | 11,357 | 14,130 | 8,373 | 10,863 | 9,591 | 1,091 | 427 |
| 1934 | 5,439 | 8,850 | 37,701 | 5,029 | 10,283 | 6,354 | 1,131 | 554 |
| 1935 | 4,337 | 5,078 | 3,079 | 7,500 | 10,146 | 12,199 | 1,133 | 354 |
Day-
elementary
schools.
The figures for ringworm are given later in this section of the report (page 45).
No cases of smallpox were notified in London during the year. The last
confirmed case occurred in June, 1934.
Special investigations into the occurrence of the infectious diseases specified in the following table were carried out by the school medical staff during the year:— Table 24.
| Division. | Diphtheria. | Scarlet fever. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of visits. | Number of depts. visited. | Number of children examined. | Number of visits. | Number of depts. visited. | Number of children examined. | |
| N.E. | 44 | 39 | 4,401 | 14 | 14 | 1,868 |
| N. | 29 | 28 | 1,721 | 16 | 15 | 1,154 |
| N.W. | 35 | 29 | 2,218 | 14 | 14 | 1,210 |
| S.W. | 20 | 19 | 1,580 | 19 | 19 | 1,230 |
| S.E. | 27 | 22 | 2,473 | 35 | 31 | 3,858 |
| Total | 155 | 137 | 12,393 | 98 | 93 | 9,320 |
The children in one school were specially examined from time to time on account
of outbreaks of ophthalmia.
In addition to investigations by medical officers, valuable work was done by
the school nursing staff in following up in the schools the medical officers' visits in
connection with the occurrence of scarlet fever, diphtheria and ophthalmia, as well
as in the special visitation of the schools where there were outbreaks of whoopingcough
and chickenpox, mumps, measles, scabies and influenza.
Diphtheria.
In the course of 155 visits paid to the schools by medical officers for special
investigation of diphtheria, a total of 2,946 children in affected classrooms were
swabbed, yielding 2,843 negative and 103 positive results or a percentage of 3.5
children with diphtheria bacilli in the throat or nose or both, or, in a few instances,
the ear. Virulence tests were applied to 90 isolated subcultures of the diphtheria
bacillus from the 103 positive swabbings, yielding 76 virulent (84.4 per cent.) and
14 non-virulent.
In two of the 8 cases of ear discharge, diphtheria bacilli were isolated, one case
proving virulent and the other non-virulent.
In addition, 387 children were swabbed as a precautionary measure, previous
to going to convalescent homes, holiday camps or on school journeys. Among
them were seven who showed the presence of diphtheria bacilli (1.8 per cent.). Of
6 of the subcultures tested for virulence, two proved virulent and four non-virulent.
Also 183 boys and girls were swabbed in various residential establishments for
children (apart from the Council's residential schools and children's homes); 12 of
them proved positive (6.5 per cent.), 10 being tested for virulence (5 virulent and
5 non-virulent).