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
Coulsdon and Purley 1943
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Coulsdon]
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INFECTIOUS DISEaSE.
It was pointed out in the Interim Report for 1942 that the
total number of infectious disease cases in recent years has can
apt to mislead, owing to the inclusion of relatively large number£
of cases of Measles and Whooping Cough, the notification of which
diseases was only reintroduced in 1939. If these two diseases
are excluded, together with Tuberculosis, which is dealt with
separately later in this Report, it will be found that the
number of cases of notifiable infectious disease in 1943 was only
slightly greater than in 1942.
The increase was almost entirely due to the number of
cases of Scarlet Fever which rose from 45 to l84, reductions in
the number of cases of Dysentery by 100, in Pneumonia by 11 and
Erysipelas by 17 compensating in part for this rise.
Related to the population at risk the prevalence of
Scarlet Fever caused an increase in the Infectious Disease Rate
very similar to the peak years for Scarlet Fever before the war.
In other words, apart from this one disease, which was
fortunately of a mild ???e as little infectious disease was
experienced in 1945 as in the district's best years immediately
preceding the war. After four years of war conditions this is
a very gratifying position to be able to report.
The following table summarises the position in 1943:-
| DISEASE, | NUMBER NOTIFIED. | NUMBER REMOVED TO HOSPITAL. | TOTAL DEATHS. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 7 | 7 | - |
| Typhoid | 3 | - | - |
| Paratyphoi | 1 | - | - |
| Scarlet Fever | 184 | 176 | - |
| Erysipelas | 5 | l | - |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 3 | - | |
| Pneumonia | 27 | - | 30 x |
| Dysentery | 21 | - | - |
| Acute Poliomyelitis | 3 | 2 | - |
| Cerebro-spinal Fever | 2 | 1 | |
| cephalitis Lethargica | 1 | - | - |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 1 | - | - |
| Measles | 275 | 4 | 1 |
| Whooping Cough | 55 | - | 1 |
| TOTALS | 590 | 145 | 33 |
x Includes deaths from all forms of Pneumonia.
El' TERIC FEVER.
Typhoid. There were only 3 isolated cases of Typhoid Fever
notified during the year including one at each of the Mental
Hospitals. These cases appeared to be in no way connected with
each other nor with any known source of infection.
Paratyphoid. One case of Paratyphoid Fiver notified and this was
only diagnosed pstmortem in hospital. The source of infection
was not traced.
SCARLET FEVER.
In common with neighbouring districts a wave of Scarlet
Fever occurred, chiefly affecting this District during the last
four months of the year. The total number of cases notified in
this District was the highest yet recorded, viz. 184, compared
with previous peaks of 136 in 1921, 125 in'1929 and 124 in 1935.
During the last two years the number of Scarlet Fever cases had
been very low, viz. 35 and 45, and it was anticipated that an