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
Tottenham 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]
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17
Poliomyelitis
Eleven cases of poliomyelitis occurred during the year, and in a further
11 suspected cases the diagnosis was amended after admission to hospital.
Of the confirmed cases six had paralysis to a varying degree and one of
these was certified as having polio-encephalitis as well.
There were also two fatal cases of polio-encephalitis in Tottenham
children who died outside the Borough. One died soon after admission to
Great Ormond Street Hospital, and the other whilst away on holiday.
The following table gives such details of the confirmed cases as are available:-
| Date of Notification | Date of Commencement illness | Sex | Age in Years | Site of Paralysis | Recent History of Inoculations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | |||||
| F | 2½ | ||||
| F | |||||
| F | |||||
Food Poisoning
There were 30 cases of food poisoning during the year, one in the first
quarter fourteen in the second quarter, fourteen in the third quarter and one
in the last quarter.
There were twenty-one single cases in five of which the organism was
identified as Salmonella Typhimurium. In the remainder the cause was unknown.
The remaining nine cases were in a family outbreak, which also affected
four persons outside the borough An account of this outbreak is given below.
On the 26th May, 1953, notification of food-poisoning affecting seven
members of one household was received from a local practitioner. Home cooked
tongue was suspected and further enquiries and investigation confirmed this.