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
Carshalton 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Carshalton]
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Details were as follows:
| Sex | Age | Date of Onset | Resultant disability in June, 1957 |
|---|---|---|---|
| M | 32 | 29th Jan. | Bulbar paralysis—died |
| F | 6 | 21st June | Non paralytic—no disability |
| F | 6 | 4th July | „ „ „ „ |
| M | 10 | 6th July | „ „ „ „ |
| F | 18 | 25th July | „ „ „ „ |
| M | 23 | 4th Aug. | „ „ „ „ |
| F | 17 | 13th Aug. | „ „ „ „ |
| M | 5 | 13th Sept. | Made good recovery from weakness of shoulder |
| F | 5 | 27th Sept. | Non paralytic—no disability |
| F | 6 | 28th Sept. | „ „ „ „ |
| M | 8 | 1st Oct. | „ „ „ „ |
| F | 4 | 16th Oct. | Weakness of left arm—still in hospital |
| M | 7 | 17th Oct. | Non paralytic—no disability |
| F | 26 | 14th Dec. | Weakness of right arm and leg |
The Ministry's scheme of vaccination against poliomyelitis began in
May, 1956. The process consists of two intra-muscular injections of
vaccine at not less than three weeks interval. Owing to the limited rate at
which vaccine could be produced in the early stages, treatment was offered
first to the children born in the years 1947-1954. By the time the lists were
closed in April, 2,494 children had been registered for this treatment out of
an estimated total in these age groups of 6,600—an acceptance rate of
approximately 40%. Special clinics were instituted where the inoculations
were given. They commenced in May and were suspended from the end of
June until November when a few children who had previously received
only one injection were given their second. By the end of the year 304
children had received the two injections and eleven had received one.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum
As in the year before no case of inflammation of the eyes in the newborn
was notified in 1956.
Puerperal Pyrexia
For reasons given in previous reports a considerable number of
notifications are received annually of instances of rise of temperature in
lying-in women. The majority of these notifications are furnished by the
St. Helier Hospital whose maternity service caters for a large part of
Metropolitan Surrey.
During the year under review 173 cases were notified of which 35 were
Carshalton mothers. As the number of births which took place in the
district was 2,303, the incidence of puerperal pyrexia was 75.1 per 1,000
related births. There were no deaths.
Food Poisoning
It is encouraging to report that there was no significant outbreak of
food poisoning. The six cases reported were all isolated single cases except
two who were members of one family. Three patients were infected with
S. typhimurium and were the only ones in the three households affected.
The vehicle in which the infection was conveyed was not identified. No
bacterial agent was isolated from the fourth single case the diagnosis
resting on clinical evidence. The two sufferers in the same family were
husband and wife who commenced their illness on their return journey from
Italy where they were undoubtedly infected. No organism was isolated from
either of them and their illness was probably of the toxin type. All recovered.
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