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
Finsbury 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]
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44
Incidence Rates.
The rates per thousand of the population are set out below,
together with the corresponding rates for England and Wales, the
larger towns, the smaller towns, and London as a whole for
comparison:—
(Notification Rates (Comparative Table) per 1,000 population.)
| Finsbury | England and Wales | 126C.B's. & great towns including London | 148 smaller towns, Res. population 25,000 to 50,000 at 1931 census | London Adm. County | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typhoid Fever | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Paratyphoid Fever | 0.00 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Cerebro-spinal Fever | 0.00 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
| Scarlet Fever | 1.11 | 1.63 | 1.72 | 1.83 | 1.46 |
| Whooping Cough | 2.16 | 2.39 | 2.44 | 2.39 | 1.70 |
| Diphtheria | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.07 |
| Erysipelas | 0.11 | 0.19 | 0.20 | 0.19 | 0.17 |
| Smallpox | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Measles | 5.66 | 8.95 | 8.91 | 9.18 | 8.54 |
| Pneumonia | 1.19 | 0.80 | 0.91 | 0.65 | 0.55 |
Influenzal Pneumonia.
Two cases were notified, both in April.
Acute Primary Pneumonia.
Forty-one cases were notified and these were distributed throughout
the year with but little preponderance in the winter months.
There was at no time an alarming number of cases.
Cerebrospinal Meningitis.
There was one death in December in a man aged 81. The
diagnosis was not made before death and the case was not notified.
As he lived alone further details were not obtained.
Diphtheria.
There were no cases of diphtheria during the year. The year
1949 will be recorded as the first year in which there was no case of
Diphtheria. This must be regarded as a great triumph for the
Public Health Services for the way in which the problems in connection
with the disease have been handled in general and for the
energy that has been displayed by the Council and its staff in the last
decade or more in securing the immunization of a very large proportion
of infants.