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 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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| Notified 1947 | Average 1942/6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 18 | 50 |
| Erysipelas | 31 | 45 |
| Scarlet Fever | 118 | 203 |
| Enteric Fever | 1 | 1 |
| Puerperal Fever | 6 | 3 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 13 | 10 |
| Meningococcal Meningitis. | 5 | 10 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 12 | 17 |
| Polio-myelitis, etc. | 23 | 1 |
| Encephalitis Lethargica | — | — |
| Malaria | 2 | 5 |
| Dysentery | 1 | 14 |
| Pneumonia | ||
| (Acute Influenzal) | 23 | 27 |
| (Acute Primary) | 132 | 123 |
| Whooping Cough | 639 | 383 |
| Measles | 583 | 1,023 |
| Tuberculosis (all forms) | 162 | 209 |
| Scabies | 219 | 667* |
| Total | 1,988 | 2,791 |
*Scabies became notifiable on 1st August, 1943; equivalent annual
rate.
In the aggregate there was a considerable drop in the number of
cases of infectious disease notified in 1947 as compared with those of
1946.
Of those diseases which showed an increase, reference must be
made to Acute Anterior Polio-myelitis.. There was an outbreak of this
disease throughout England, the largest that this country has ever
experienced. So far as Battersea is concerned the outbreak was not
so severe as in some other parts of London. Thirty-five cases were
notified, but of these 12 were subsequently cancelled. In addition to
these, 12 cases were removed to hospital as suspects but afterwards
found not to be suffering from this disease. There was one fatality
from Polio-myelitis in the Borough.
Whooping Cough is another disease which showed a sharp rise.
Acute Primary Pneumonia, which had shown a gradual decline
from 1943, again rose during 1947.