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
Southgate 1933
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southgate]
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receive a further Schick Test. If the test is still positive a fourth
injection is given and a further test made after three months, as
before. Up to the present, this has proved sufficient in all cases.
Careful records are kept and filed for reference. Children under
12 months are considered too young for immunisation, but apart
from this, the earlier the age at which the injections are given the
better is the result.
Very few reactions were met with among the patients attending
the Clinic (35 out of approximately 1,500 injections given), while
even in these cases all untoward symptoms had disappeared within
a few days. In only 3 cases was the reaction in any way severe.
One of the great stumbling-blocks to such a scheme as this, is the
number of patients who, for one cause or another, fail to complete
the course. We have met with the usual number in Southgate, but
the Health Visitors have been extremely valuable in rounding up
the absentees and we are gradually completing the blanks in our
records.
The following are the statistics relating to the Clinic to date:—
| Number of sessions held | 49 |
| Number of new cases | 740 (44 adults, 696 children) |
| Number of re-visits | 1,760 |
| Total number of attendances | 2,500 |
| Highest number of new cases dealt with at one session | 140 |
| Highest number of total visits at one session | 223 |
Results of Schick Test Divided According to Age Group.
Positive (including pseudo-negative):—
| 1—5. | 5—10. | 10—15. | 15 and over. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slight | - (0%) | 77 (27.7%) | 69 (33.5%) | 6 (13.7%) |
| Normal | 1 (12.5%) | 70 (25.3%) | 38 (18.5%) | 5 (11.4%) |
| Marked | 7 (87.5%) | 82 (29.7%) | 41 (19.9%) | 4 (9%) |
| Negative (including pseudo-positive):— | ||||
| 1—5. | 5—10. | 10—15. | 15 and over. | |
| - (0%) | 48 (17.3%) | 58 (28.1%) | 29 (65.9%) | |
This Table shows what might be expected in a population such
as Southgate's. The proportion of "Schick-negatives" increases
with the age of the cases tested, until it reaches a maximum of well
over 50 per cent, in the adults. It should be pointed out here that
the 8 children Schick-tested in the 1—5 age group were done as a
control, and prove the futility of carrying out this test on any large
scale among very young children.
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