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
Camberwell 1926
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
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64
The Metropolitan Asylums Board has set aside beds 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 1926 three cases received treatment at this hospital.
Encephalitis Lethargica.
This disease was made compulsorily notifiable in 1919. 12
cases were notified during the year. 5 of the notified cases were
afterwards certified not to be suffering from encephalitis lethargica.
Details of each case are given in the following table:—
| Sex. | Age. | Date of Notification. | Where treated. | Ultimate Diagnosis. | Subsequent History. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 22 | 10/6/26 | Hospital | Confirmed | Died 3/11/26 |
| Male | 5¾ | 14/6/26 | Hospital | Confirmed | – |
| Male | 50 | 17/6/26 | At home | Confirmed | – |
| Male | 9½ | 24/6/26 | Hospital | Confirmed | – |
| Male | 44 | 17/8/26 | Hospital | Not confirmed | – |
| Female | 16 | 13/8/26 | Hospital | Not confirmed | Died 16/8/26 |
| Female | 3 | 7/9/26 | Hospital | Not confirmed | Died 16/9/26 |
| Female | 16 | 17/9/26 | Hospital | Not confirmed | – |
| Male | 27 | 16/10/26 | At home | Confirmed | – |
| Male | 46 | 26/11/26 | Hospital | Not confirmed | – |
| Male | 37 | 27/11/26 | At home | Confirmed | – |
| Male | 26 | 17/12/26 | Hospital patient moved away—cannot be traced. | ||
The Metropolitan Asylums Board has provided facilities at
the Northern Hospital, Winchmore Hill, for the treatment of
children afflicted with the after-effects of this disease, and it is
hoped that in the near future this arrangement may be extended
so as to provide similar treatment for adult patients.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
Regulations relating to the notification of ophthalmia neonatorum
came into force on the Ist October, 1926, under which
the duty of notifying ophthalmia neonatorum is placed solely upon
the medical practitioners in attendance on the case.
These Regulations revoke the Public Health (Ophthalmia
Neonatorum) Regulations, 1914, which placed an obligation on a
certified midwife to notify a case in which there was reasonable
grounds for supposing that a child upon whom she was in attendance
was suffering from this disease, unless the case had already
been notified by a medical practitioner.
14 cases of this disease were notified during the year. In
addition 133 cases of slight inflammation of the eyes were brought