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 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
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21
Acute Poliomyelitis, Acute Polio-encephalitis and Meningococcal Infection.
The Public Health (Cerebro-Spinal Fever and Acute
Poliomyelitis) Regulations, 1912, and the Public Health (Acute
Encephalitis Lethargica and Acute Polio-Encephalitis) Regulations,
1918, as extended by the Public Health (Acute Encephalitis
Lethargica and Acute Polio-Encephalitis) Regulations, 1919,
were revoked as from the 1st January, 1950, by the Public
Health (Acute Poliomyelitis, Acute Encephalitis and Meningococcal
Infection) Regulations, 1949. Every Medical Practitioner
practising within the Borough received a copy of these regulations,
which are designed to introduce nomenclature consistent with
the international standard classification of disease and slightly
extend the scope of clinical conditions notifiable under the head
of acute encephalitis. They also require notifications of Acute
Poliomyelitis to indicate whether the disease is paralytic or
non-paralytic.
Poliomyelitis is caused by one of a group of viruses and
infection is mainly spread from person to person. Susceptibility
to infection is general.
The following table gives a summary of the confirmed cases of these diseases :—
| Acute Poliomyelitis, Paralytic | Acute Poliomyelitis, Non-paralytic | Acute Polio-encephalitis | Meningococcal Infection | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | ||
| January | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| February | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| March | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| April | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| May | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| June | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| July | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| August | 2 | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| September | 4 | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| October | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
| November | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| December | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | – | – | 1 | 1 |
Smallpox.
At the beginning of the year a small outbreak of this
disease occurred at a South coast town and information was
received that a number of Camberwell residents were possible