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of the same nature, but most of it not notified, was caused to younger people. The
harmful mixture of fog and smoke, now commonly and conveniently called smog,
is largely of our own making. At least 50 per cent. of smoke in a borough such as
Islington is due, during the winter, to smoke from household fires. Apart from the
industrial aspect, the only method of dealing with the domestic side is to increase,
as a matter of urgency, the burning of smokeless fuels, and the substitution of
alternative and cleaner means of space heating. Against the increased costs of such
changes, must be off-set the great economic losses causes by illness due to smoke,
as well as dislocation of transport, etc.
Food Poisoning
Number of notifications received
1947 7
1948 10
1949 55
1950 104
1951 148
1952 58
It will be seen from the above that there was a very considerable reduction in
the food poisoning cases notified in 1952. There were no outbreaks during the year
to be reported to the Ministry of Health in accordance with Circular 2/50.
The campaign for safer food is dealt with in the Health Publicity section of
this Report.
Dysentery
Whereas I had to report in 1951 that 995 notifications of dysentery had been
received during the year, the highest number to be recorded, this position, fortunately,
did not continue. The dysentery cases notified in 1952 numbered 216. The
routine arrangements previously reported for the follow-up of dysentery cases and
their contacts continued to be followed. All notified cases were visited by a Sanitary
Inspector or Infectious Disease visitor, and arrangements made, unless otherwise
desired by the General Practitioner attending, for examination of stool specimens at
the Archway Group Laboratory, except in those cases where the patient was
attending hospital.
Of the 216 notified, 187 were found to be suffering from dysentery due to
B. Sonne ; which in general does not give rise to severe illness. As mentioned in the
1951 Report, Day Nurseries continued to offer a special risk of dysentery and particular
attention is given to this aspect by the London County Council medical and
nursery staff. Homeless families in a Part III Welfare Authority Home also constituted
something of an additional dysentery risk requiring constant observation
by all concerned .
Scabies and Vermin
The number of cases of scabies treated continues to decrease. Benzyl benzoate
continues to be the treatment of choice for scabies and proprietory 2 per cent.
D.D.T. emulsion for the treatment of verminous heads. Both of these preparations
have given extremely satisfactory results for their respective purposes.