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
Orpington 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Orpington]
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52
In twenty-three of the cases notified, the causative organism
was indentified and in each case one of the Salmonellae was
incriminated.
The following is a copy of the annual return of Food Poisoning notifications (corrected), forwarded to the Ministry of Health:—
| (1) First Quarter | 7 |
| Second Quarter | 18 |
| Third Quarter | 2 |
| Fourth Quarter | 9 |
| 36 | |
| (2) Outbreaks due to identified agents:— | |
| Total outbreaks | Nil |
| Total cases | Nil |
| (3) Outbreaks of undiscovered cause:— | |
| Total outbreaks | Nil |
| Total cases | Nil |
| (4) Single cases:— | |
| Agent identified (Salmonella organisms) | 23 |
| Unknown cause | 13 |
Measles.
Following a year of heavy incidence, the expected drop in
notifications duly occurred, there being only thirty-three cases
brought to our notice as against one thousand and forty-eight
during the previous year. The fact that only one case had to be
admitted to hospital indicates how the severity of this condition
has declined with the passing of the years.
No deaths from this disease were recorded in the area.
Other Infectious Diseases.
In addition to those previously mentioned, notifications were
received as under:—
Erysipelas—3 cases (all home nursed).
Puerperal Pyrexia—72 cases (70 were institutionally treated and
2 home nursed).
Meningococcal Infection—2 cases.
No cases of the following diseases were brought to the notice
of the department and no deaths were registered:—
Anthrax.
Cholera.
Glandular Fever.
Malaria.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
Typhus Fever.
Undulant Fever.