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 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Coulsdon]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASE
The following table indicates the number of cases of infectious disease notified during 1958, the number treated in hospital and the number of deaths which occurred.
| Disease. | Numbers Notified. | Treated in Hospital. | Total Deaths. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Scarlet fever | 49 | 5 | — |
| Erysipelas | 4 | 1 | — |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 1 | — | — |
| Pneumonia, primary | 22 | 3 | - |
| Encephalitis, acute | 1 | 1 | — |
| Dysentery | 35 | 6 | — |
| Poliomyelitis | — | — | — |
| Measles | 103 | 1 | — |
| Whooping cough | 41 | — | — |
| Food poisoning | 1 | 1 | — |
| Meningoccal infection | 1 | 1 | — |
| Totals | 259 | 20 | 1 |
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 1928 is presented in Table III in the Appendix.
It will be seen that tuberculosis is omitted from this list of
acute infectious diseases, this chronic disease being dealt with
separately later. Measles was the commonest disease notified,
followed by scarlet fever and whooping cough, cases of the latter
being the lowest number notified for many years.
SMALLPOX.
No case of this disease has occurred in this District since 1932
and during the year 1958 only one suspected case was visited for
the purpose of diagnosis.
DIPHTHERIA
During 1958 one notification of diphtheria was received. The
patient, a married woman of 45 years with no children, died as a
result of this disease. Investigation failed to produce any evidence
as to where the patient had contracted the disease. This is the first
case of diphtheria since 1946.
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