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 1945
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASE. The following table shows the number of cases of infectious disease notified during the year 1945, with comparative figures for the previous six years:-
| Notifiable disease. | Number of cases notified. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | 1944 | 1943 | 1942 | 1941 | 1940 | 1939 | |
| Scarlet Fever. | 136 | 74 | 216 | 108 | 91 | 82 | 117 |
| Diphtheria (including Membranous Croup.) | 19 | 29 | 54 | 78 | 86 | 54 | 102 |
| Enteric Fever. | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 9 |
| Puerperal Fever. | 7 | 18 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia. | 12 | 23 | 25 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 34 |
| Acute primary pneumonia and acute influenzal pneumonia. | 81 | 91 | 133 | 91 | 65 | 59 | 109 |
| Dysentery. | 142 | 43 | 73 | 68 | 25 | 15 | 114 |
| Erysipelas. | 33 | 16 | 37 | 30 | 43 | 47 | 45 |
| Cerebro-spinal meningitis. | 3 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 22 | 45 | 4 |
| Malaria. | 11 | 8 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Poliomyelitis and polioencephalitis . | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Encephalitis lethargica. | 1 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 |
| Tuberculosis (all forms). | 188 | 211 | 202 | 203 | 234 | 200 | 190 |
| Measles. | 868 | 102 | 624 | 365 | 366 | 242 | 31 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum. | 8 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Enteritis. + | 100 | 71 | 69 | 96 | 48 | 12 | 31 |
| Food poisoning. | 6 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| Acute rheumatism. X | 32 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 18 |
| Scabies. * | 460 | 363 | 252 | – | – | – | – |
| Whooping cough. | 62 | 189 | 102 | 146 | 176 | 16 | 345 |
+ Notifiable only in children under the age of 5 years.
x Notifiable only in children under the age of 16 years.
* Notifiable as from 1st August, 1943.
Note. Cases of mistaken diagnosis are excluded from the
above table.
Whooping Cough.
In order to assist in the early diagnosis of
whooping cough and to protect contacts, the Council, with
the approval of the Minister of Health, decided to reestablish
their Whooping Cough Clinic at the Princess Louise
Kensington Hospital for Children, with facilities for bacteriological
diagnosis and prophylactic inoculation of contacts.
The arrangements include the appointment of a
medical officer- (on a sessional basis), the provision of
vaccine and drugs, and facilities for x-ray examinations and
blood counts.
There was no outbreak of whooping cough during
the year to justify setting the clinic into operation.