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
Kensington 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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Bacteriological Work. The council's bacteriological work is carried out at the laboratory at the Princess Louise hospital. The bacteriologist is Dr. Bessie Cadness; who is a part-time officer of the council. She also gives service to the Princess Louise hospital and to another London hospital. The work performed during 1938 was as follows :—
| Disease suspected. | Examinations. | Positive. |
|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 2,006 | 26 |
| Scarlet fever | 25 | 7 |
| Tuberculosis | 762 | 57 |
| Typhoid fever. Blood | 14 | 1 |
| „ Urine | 3 | — |
| ,, Faeces | 151 | — |
| Paratyphoid Blood | 3 | — |
| „ Urine | 145 | — |
| „ "Faeces | 229 | — |
| Dysentery (Sonne). Fæces | 275 | 18 |
| Gonorrhoea | 1 | — |
| Syphilis. W.R. | 1 | — |
| Vincent's angina | 3 | — |
| Ringworm | 1 | — |
| Meningococcus. Throat | 2 | — |
| The following examinations were also carried out :— | ||
| Milk, general test | 127 | |
| ,, for tubercle bacilli | 11 | |
| „ for typhoid | 2 | |
| Complete blood count | 1 | |
| Test for occult blood | 1 | |
| Virulence tests | 5 | |
| Water from public swimming baths | 64 | |
| Water from wells, etc. | 45 | |
| Miscellaneous | 15 | |
The following is a table of cases attended and visits paid by nurses of the association on behalf of the council from the 1st January to the 31st December, 1938:—
| Cases. | Visits. | |
|---|---|---|
| Maternity cases | 37 | 731 |
| Miscarriages | 20 | 194 |
| Pneumonia (5 years of age and over) | 19 | 345 |
| „ (under 5 years of age) | 12 | 198 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum and other inflammations of the eyes of newly-born children | 7 | 88 |
| Influenza (5 years of age and over) | 27 | 227 |
| „ (under 5 years of age) | — | — |
| Enteritis and diarrhoea | 130 | 1,134 |
| Tuberculosis (5 years of age and over) | 24 | 1,644 |
| Measles (5 years of age and over) | — | — |
| „ (under 5 years of age) | 128 | 1,384 |
| ,, and pneumonia (5 years of age and over) | — | — |
| „ „ (under 5 years of age) | 9 | 120 |
| Whooping cough (5 years of age and over) | — | — |
| ,, „ (under 5 years of age) | 5 | 81 |
| Chicken-pox (5 years of age and over) | — | — |
| ,, (under 5 years of age) | 3 | 44 |
| Acute rheumatism | 15 | 280 |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 10 | 176 |
| Scarlet fever | — | — |
| Pemphigus | 2 | 34 |
| Totals | 448 | 6,680 |
| For the services rendered, the council paid to the association in 1938 a grant of £375. | ||
Professional Nursing in the Home.
As in past years, the Kensington District Nursing Association continued to carry out
professional nursing in the homes of the poor. The number of cases nursed during 1938 was
2,822 and the number of visits paid was 48,395.