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
Holborn 1927
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn Borough]
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76
The Infectious Diseases (London) Regulations, 1927.
These .Regulations were made by the Ministry of Health in December, 1927;
they supersede the Public Health (Pneumonia, Malaria, Dysentery, etc.}
Regulations, 1919, as from the 1st January, 1928. The new Regulations generally
continue the requirements of the 1919 Regulations with the following important
modifications: —
(1) Trench Fever is no longer notifiable.
(2) Malaria. Every ease in which the Medical Practitioner becomes aware that
a person on whom he is in professional attendance is suffering from malaria, is
notifiable except cases of malaria occurring in an institution in which the disease has
been induced for therapeutic purposes. The exemption from notification of a case
which has already been notified within six months of the date on which the Medical
Practitioner first becomes aware of the disease is not continued. Cases of malaria
in institutions where the disease has been induced for therapeutic purposes are not
notifiable in the first instance but if the Medical Practitioner under whose charge
the patient has been, is of opinion that the patient may be regarded as liable to
relapses of malaria, he is required at least four days before the discharge of the
patient from the institution to notify the case on a special form prescribed by the
Regulations to the Medical Officer of Health of the district in which the patient
proposes to reside.
(3) Dysentery. This disease is defined by the Regulations to include amoebic
and bacillary dysentery.
As required by the Regulations information of the duties imposed on Medical
Practitioners were sent to all doctors practising in the Borough.
Bacteriological Work.
The following table gives details of the examinations made during the year: —
| Diphtheria | Pulmonary Tuberculosis | Enteric Fever | Other | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number Submitted | Result of Examination | Number Submitted | Result of Examination | Number Submitted | Result of Examination | Number Submitted | Result of Examination |
| 241 | Bacilli not found 219 | 89 | Bacilli not found 72 | 3 | Negative 3 | 1 | Negitive 1 |
| Bacilli found 22 | Bacilli found 17 | Positive 0 | Positive 0 | ||||
Disinfections.
During the year 484 rooms and 4,291 articles of bedding, clothing, etc., were
disinfected after various infectious diseases, inclusive of tuberculosis.
Sixty rooms and o35 articles of bedding, clothing, etc., were disinfected after
tuberculosis.
Special attention is devoted to toys and more particularly to any toy put in
the mouth. Twenty two books and 29 toys were disinfected; also three L.C.C.
ambulances after their use for the conveyance of infected persons.