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11
Whooping Cough. The Incidence of whooping cough declined
progressively during the year. The March quarter produced 69
cases, the June quarter 24, September quarter 9 and the
December quarter 7, making a total for the year of 109 cases.
This figure, while a little higher than 1956, is still
comparatively low but one feels that if full advantage were
taken of the facilities for immunisation against whooping cough,
it may well have been lower still.
Tuberculosis. The 1957 figure for notification of new cases of
pulmonary tuberculosis (108) is rather higher than the previous
year (89) but when compared with the average for the post war
years (97) the increase is less significant. Notifications of
males (62) have been slightly above the post war average for
2 years now, but the first 6 post war years produced 315
notifications which compares with 332 between 1952 and 1957 so
that the tendency for this figure to rise is very slight.
Notifications of females (46) although considerably
higher than 1956 are almost on a level with the average for
post war years (43) and cannot be considered exceptional.
There were 4 deaths from pulmonary tuberculosis.
There were 9 cases of non-pulmonary tuberculosis, all
of them female. The cases were spread evenly through the age
groups from 7 to 63 and were classified as follows:tuberculous
meningitis 1; spine 2; knee 1; kidneys and bladder l;
cervical adenitis 4. There was one death of an un-notified
case of non-pulmonary tuberculosis./
Mass X-ray. The Mobile Mass X-ray Unit was not available for
members of the general public although the Unit did visit
Hampstead for the purpose of closed surveys at 2 firms. The
facilities of the permanent Mass X-ray Unit at 32 Drayton Park
N. 5. are available for Hampstead residents at any time. No
appointments are required, although separate times are set
aside for males and females.
Food Poisoning. There were no large outbreaks of food poisoning.
Four single cases occurred of which 2 were due to salmonella
typhimurium. The cause of the other two was not identified.
Four family outbreaks were responsible for 10 cases, 8 of which
were due to salmonella typhimurium and 2 to Clostridium
welchii. In the case of these last 2 patients, Clostridium
welchii was found to be present in some braised beef which they