London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Carshalton 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Carshalton]
This page requires JavaScript
13
Other Foods.—The seven bakehouses were inspected and found
to be in a satisfactory condition, and -well kept.
One box of fish was seized as unfit for human food.
Sale of Food and Drugs Acts.—The County Medical Officer of
Health informs me that 13 samples of milk, six of cream and five of
butter were analysed under these Acts, and that the sample of butter
was found to be adulterated.
The following Table shows, for each of the past five years, the number of cases of certain infectious diseases notified in the District:—
| 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | 10 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Diphtheria | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 3 |
| Enteric Fever | — | 1 | — | 2 | 1 |
| Pulmonary Tuberculosis | 6 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 8 |
| Non-pulmonary Tuberculosis | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 |
In this period in private houses, 34 cases of Scarlet Fever were
notified in 27 houses, six cases of Diphtheria in four houses, and three
cases of Enteric Fever in three houses; three cases of Scarlet Fever and
one case of Diphtheria were notified at St. John's School, and one case
of Diphtheria and one of Enteric Fever at the Royal School for the
Blind.
In 1921 the return of patients from the Isolation Hospital was
followed by the occurrence of another case of Scarlet Fever within a
fortnight in two instances, and in 1922 two children failed with the
disease a week after the return of their sister, and another child in
the house failed subsequently.
On the occurrence of two cases of Diphtheria in April, 1922, the
nasal discharge of another child in the house, who had recently
returned from a hospital in London after an operation, was found to
contain the Diphtheria bacillus; further examinations continued to give
positive results until July, when an animal test showed the bacillus
to be still virulent; the child was then removed to the Isolation
Hospital, where he was retained until the beginning of October before
he could be pronounced to be free from infection.
Bacteriological examinations are made at the Lister Institute at
the expense of the District Council. During the year 1925, 33
examinations were made for the Diphtheria bacillus, with three positive
results; two for the Tubercle bacillus, with one positive result; and
two for the Widal reaction, both negative.
The District Council arranged with a chemist in the town to stock
phials of 8,000 units of Diphtheria antitoxin for use in necessitous
cases, but none was issued during the year.
No applications of the Schick or Dick tests in Diphtheria and
Scarlet Fever were made.