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
Acton 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Acton]
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73
December in the years 1933, 1934 and 1935, and to note that on the
whole the level of immunity at the early ages is at any rate being
maintained.
Comparing 1934 with in only two infants departments has the level dropped and that very slightly, while in all the others the percentage rate is higher.
| School. | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acton Wells Infant | 24.3% | 44.6% | 72.4% |
| Beaumont Park Infant | 64.7 | 52.9 | 50.4 |
| Berrymede Infant | 37.6 | 24.9 | 24.6 |
| Derwentwater Infants | 75.3 | 51.4 | 56.3 |
| John Perryn Infant | 63.1 | 58 | 71.6 |
| Priory Infant _ | 43.1 | 50 | 65.03 |
| Rothschild Infant | 35.5 | 33.8 | 35.8 |
| Southfield | 58.8 | 52.3 | 61.07 |
It is now three years since immunisation on a large scale
was begun in Acton. In a recent paper published in one of the
medical journals, results were given showing that 5% of children
rendered Schick negative by immunisation had relapsed into being
Schick positive from 1 to 7 years after inoculation. In the late
summer of 1935 there had been notified two cases of Diphtheria
in immunised children. Both these children had mild attacks
and devloped no complications, but because of this experience,
and the published figures, it was decided to re-test all children who
had been immunised 3 years ago, and to re-immunise all who were
found to have relapsed and to be showing Schick positive reactions.
Accordingly. all these children were circularised and up to the
end of the year 235 of these children had been tested.
The results are set out in the following Table:—
| Y ears of Age. | Total. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | ||
| No. of children tested | 5 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 10 | 29 | 46 | 56 | 6 | 235 |
| Negative | 5 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 17 | 21 | 8 | 24 | 40 | 46 | 5 | 204 |
| Pseudo reactions | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 12 | |||||
| Positive reactions | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 19 | ||||
It will be noted that 19 children out of 235, i.e.., 8.1% had
relapsed into being Schick positive. It has been said, and with
so me proof, that the very small amount of toxin necessary to test