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
Camberwell 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
This page requires JavaScript
63
Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis.
There was one case of this disease notified in 1925, as compared
with 4 in the previous year.
The following table gives the number of cases reported and the deaths from this cause during the past five years:-
| Year. | Cases. | Deaths. |
|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 4 | 3 |
| 1922 | 2 | 1 |
| 1923 | Nil | – |
| 1924 | 4 | 3 |
| 1925 | 1 | Nil |
Anterior Poliomyelitis and Polioencephalitis. The number of cases of this disease that have been notified during the past five years is as follows:—
| 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
The treatment of this disease demands many months of careful
and painstaking work. It has been felt for some time that
whereas arrangements can be made without difficulty for the
admission of acute cases, better facilities were needed for cases
requiring prolonged residential treatment in order to limit the
possibility of permanent crippling and physical deformity.
At the end of 1924 the Ministry of Health issued a circular
on the subject of the early diagnosis and treatment of cases of
poliomyelitis among children, and in the early part of last year
arrangements were made by the London County Council with the
Metropolitan Asylums Board for beds to be set aside at the
Queen Mary's Hospital, Carshalton, for the treatment of cases
entering upon the second stage of the disease and for cases discharged
from hospital after undergoing correctional treatment.
During 1925 five Camberwell cases received treatment under
this scheme.
Encephalitis Lethargica. This disease was made compulsorily notifiable in 1919. The following table gives the notifications received and the deaths recorded for the period 1921-1925:—
| Year. | Notified Cases. | Cases Removed. | Deaths. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | 12 | 9 | – |
| 1922 | 1 | 1 | – |
| 1923 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 1924 | 31 | 16 | 3 |
| 1925 | 16 | 4 | 4 |
The figures in the above table may not reflect the real
incidence of the disease, nor can they be taken as a true estimate