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 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Coulsdon]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
The following table indicates the numbers of cases of infectious disease notified during 1950, the number thought to have been treated in hospital, and the number of deaths which occurred.
| Disease. | Numbers Notified. | Treated in Hospital. | Total Deaths. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | - | - | - |
| Typhoid fever | 1 | 1 | — |
| Scarlet fever | 149 | 82 | — |
| Erysipelas | 4 | — | — |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 2 | — | — |
| Pneumonia — primary | 23 | 3 | 21* |
| Dysentery | 28 | 27 | — |
| Cerebro-spinal fever | — | — | — |
| Poliomyelitis | 10 | 9 | 1 |
| Measles | 477 | 6 | — |
| Whooping cough | 242 | 3 | — |
| Malaria | 1 | — | — |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 1 | — | — |
| Food poisoning | 6 | 2 | - |
| Totals | 944 | 133 | 22 |
| * All these deaths were from other forms of pneumonia. | |||
A further analysis of these cases by age, wards and the
months during which they occurred is given in Tables I, and
II in the Appendix, while a full statement of the cases of
infectious disease notified since 1920 is presented in Table III
in the Appendix.
It will be seen that measles was by far the commonest
notifiable infectious disease; in fact 1950 was a peak year for
this infection. Similarly scarlet fever, now also a relatively mild
disease, was more prevalent than usual. While the number of
cases of poliomyelitis increased slightly, fortunately only a
small proportion of the population was affected.
Excluding measles and whooping cough, which were not
notifiable between the two wars, and the hospital cases of
dysentery, which have remained at a comparatively low level,
it is noted that the incidence of the remaining acute infectious
diseases increased from 2.5 to 3.1 per 1,000 population. While
this is slightly higher than in recent years, as it is chiefly due to the
number of cases of mild scarlet fever, it is not of vital
importance.
DIPHTHERIA.
For the fourth vear in succession no confirmed case of
diphtheria occurred in the District, and only 3 cases were
admitted as being suspicious, all proving negative on further
investigation.
17