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
Battersea 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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47
The disease was most prevalent in the less prosperous districts
of the Borough, East Battersea and North West Battersea contributing
82.1 per cent, of the total cases notified.
During 1928 the number of visits paid by nurses supplied by
the Borough Council in cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum or other
inflammatory condition of the eyes of the newly-born was 2,576.
In addition 192 visits of enquiry and supervision were made by
Health Visitors.
There were 10 severe cases amongst the 39 notified, all
which were removed to St. Margaret's (M.A.B.) Hospital for
treatment. No permanent damage to the eyes of infants suffering
from Ophthalmia Neonatorum or other inflammatory condition
of the eyes was recorded during the year. Two infants died whilst
under treatment for this disease in hospital (St. Margaret's, M.A.B.,
and St. James's), the causes of death being atelectasis and atrophy
respectively.
The following table shews the distribution of the cases notified:-
| Sub-Districts. Ward. | Cases. | Births. | Rate per 1,000 Births, | Year. | Cases. | Births. | Rate per 1,000 Births. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E. Battersea | 16 | 1,220 | 13.1 | 1923 | 42 | 3,434 | 12.2 |
| N.W. Battersea | 16 | 893 | 17.9 | ||||
| S.W. Battersea | 7 | 630 | 11.1 | 1924 | 41 | 3,139 | 13.1 |
| 1. Nine Elms | 11 | 504 | 21.8 | 1925 | 32 | 3,184 | 10.0 |
| 2. Park | 2 | 356 | 5.6 | ||||
| 3. Latchmere | 1 | 350 | 2.9 | 1926 | 35 | 2,969 | 11.8 |
| 4. Shaftesbury | 2 | 211 | 9.5 | ||||
| 5. Church | 6 | 336 | 17.9 | 1927 | 48 | 2,801 | 17.1 |
| 6. Winstanley | 10 | 380 | 26.3 | ||||
| 7. St. John | 1 | 120 | 8.3 | ||||
| 8. Bolingbroke | 1 | 255 | 3.9 | Mean | |||
| 9. Broomwood | 5 | 231 | 21.6 | 1923.7 | 39.6 | 3,105 | 12.8 |
| Borough | 39 | 2,743 | 14.2 | 1928 | 39 | 2,743 | 14.2 |
The Public Health (Ophthalmia Neonatorum) Amendment
Regulation, 1928, which came into force on 1st July, 1928, provided
that the notification of a case of Ophthalmia Neonatorum should
be made to the Medical Officer of the district within which the
medical practitioner was attending a child instead of, as before,
to the Medical Officer of the district in which the residence of the
parents was situated.
Erysipelas.
There were 84 cases of Erysipelas notified and 5 deaths were
recorded from the disease during 1928 in Battersea. The casemortality
was 5.95 per cent, and the death-rate per 1,000 population
was 0.03.