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
Islington 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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| Disease | Number of Notifications | Number of Deaths | Removed to Hospital | Number of Cases returned to Registrar General after correction of Diagnosis | Cases "coming to knowledge" but not Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | 1 (—) | — | 1 | — | — |
| Scarlet Fever | 288 (344) | — | 116 | 268 | 11 |
| Diphtheria | 50 (56) | 1 | 50 | 19 | — |
| Enteric Fever (including Paratyphoid) | 7 (3) | — | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| Typhus Fever | — (—) | — | — | — | — |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 38 (56) | — | 23 | 38 | 19 |
| Ac. Primary & Influenzal Pneumonia | 129 (137) | 1 | 3 | 130 | — |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 21 (16) | — | 15 | 21 | — |
| Encephalitis Lethargica* | 3 (—) | — | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Cerebro-spinal Fever | 14 (11) | — | 14 | 9 | 1 |
| Anthrax | — (—) | — | — | — | — |
| Dysentery | 133 (48) | — | 40 | 126 | 39 |
| Malaria | 1 (1) | — | 1 | 1 | — |
| Erysipelas | 42 (54) | — | 9 | 42 | 2 |
| Measles | 2,464 (2,771) | 1 | 109 | 2,464 | 28 |
| Whooping Cough | 772 (535) | 3 | 94 | 753 | 14 |
| Ac. Poliomyelitis | 39 (69) | 2 | 38 | 25 | — |
| Ac. Polioencephalitis | — (3) | — | — | — | — |
| Food Poisoning | 104 (55) | — | — | 100 | — |
| Tuberculosis—Lungs | 446 (488) | 89 | — | Not Returned | |
| Tuberculosis—Other Forms | 43 (39) | 7 | — | do. | — |
| Scabies | 36 (51) | — | — | 35 | 45 |
(Figures in brackets are notifications for 1949)
*Including one post-infectious case.
| Smallpox | 51 | Erysipelas | 42 |
| Scarlet Fever | 314 | Measles | 2,347 |
| Diphtheria | 56 | Whooping Cough | 781 |
| Enteric Fever (including Paratyphoid) | 75 | Acute Poliomyelitis & Polioencephalitis | 96 |
| Typhus | — | Food poisoning | 106 |
| Cerebrospinal Fever | 23 | Scabies | 165 |
| Dysentery | 816 | Vermin | 1,545 |
| Malaria | 1 | Ineffective Visits | 1,533 |
| Total 7,951 | |||
Smallpox and Vaccination.
Although fortunately there were no cases of smallpox in Islington in 1950,
information was received from time to time of contacts or possible contacts, particularly
in passengers arriving in this country by ships from the Far East on which a
case of smallpox may have occurred during the voyage. Such contacts are, of
course, kept under observation by the Department's Officers during the period of
incubation of the infection. Since Public Health Department staffs are among the
first who may have any form of contact with a smallpox case, the necessity of
frequent re-vaccination has been stressed to all members of the staff who may be
concerned.