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
Brentford and Chiswick 1957
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brentford and Chiswick]
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PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES,
CONTROL OF VERMIN AND SCABIES
By the courtesy of the School Medical Officer particulars regarding the
cleanliness surveys in schools have been obtained, and are as follows:-
Number of children examined:-
| Primary Schools | 12, 119 | |
| Secondary Modern Schools | 4, 673 | |
| 16,792 | ||
| Number of children requiring treatment | 134 | |
| Number of children in respect of whom | ||
| cleansing notices were issued | 91 | |
| Number of children cleansed by Local | ||
| Health Authority | 58 |
There was a rise in the number of children found to be infested with head
lice, from 106 in 1956 to 134 in 1957 These figures are not satisfactoryas.
although the total number examined was 1,567 less than in 1956, there was an
increase in the number of infested children from 106 to 134. The number requiring
cleansing notices rose from 72 to 91 and the number of children compulsorily
cleansed rose from 48 to 58. This figure has risen every year since 1953, the
figures being as follows:- 25 in 1953, 29 in 1954, 37 in 1955. 48 in 1956, 58
in 1957.
By arrangement with the Medical Officer of Health of Hammersmith, persons
requiring cleansing because of infestation with scabies or vermin, can be treated
at the Hammersmith Cleansing Station, During 1957, six persons were referred
for cleansing, five for scabies infestation and one for verminous infestation.
All of these cases were cleared quickly.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
In the year 1957 there was a marked increase in the incidence of infectious disease. This was due mainly to the rise in measles notifications. Measles is a disease showing a marked biennial fluctuation and the current year was the year of high incidence. The up and down nature of this disease can be observed from the following table of notifications of this disease during the past ten years.
| 335 | 511 | 269 | 863 | 413 | 810 | 47 | 659 | 107 | 773 |
Poliomyelitis
6 notifications of poliomyelitis were received during the year, and 2
cases were confirmed as paralytic poliomyelitis.
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