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 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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SECTION B. PREVALENCE AND CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES. Notifiable Infectious Diseases and Deaths during the year 1954.
| 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 | - | (—) | - | - | - | - |
| Scarlet Fever | 201 | (250) | — | 60 | 190 | 5 |
| Diphtheria | 6 | (12) | — | 6 | 1 | — |
| Enteric Fever (including Paratyphoid) | 1 | (1) | - | - | 2 | - |
| Typhus Fever | — | (-) | — | — | — | — |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 311 | (192) | — | 300 | 313 | 17 |
| Ac. Primary & Influenzal Pneumonia | 104 | (322) | 1 | 3 | 104 | - |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 17 | (27) | — | 14 | 18 | — |
| Acute Encephalitis | 1 | (1) | — | 1 | 1 | — |
| Meningococcal Infection | 9 | (8) | 2 | 9 | 3 | 3 |
| Anthrax | 1 | (—) | — | — | 1 | — |
| Dysentery | 1,168 | (372) | — | 150 | 1,127 | 149 |
| Malaria | 2 | (5) | — | 1 | 2 | — |
| Erysipelas | 37 | (48) | — | 5 | 36 | 5 |
| Measles | 1,191 | (2,541) | 1 | 60 | 1,165 | 37 |
| Whooping Cough | 263 | (1,188) | — | 48 | 250 | 17 |
| Ac. Poliomyelitis | 19 | (34) | 1 | 17 | 11 | 16 |
| Food Poisoning | 104 | (243) | — | 29 | 102 | 55 |
| Tuberculosis—Lungs | 419 | (450) | 37 | — | 425 | — |
| Tuberculosis—Other Forms | 28 | (35) | 4 | — | 31 | — |
| Scabies | 59 | (25) | - | 2 | 59 | 181 |
(Figures in brackets are notifications for 1953.)
Domiciliary Visiting of Infectious Disease Cases and Contacts—No. of Visits.
| Smallpox | 3 | Erysipelas | 37 |
| Scarlet Fever | 212 | Measles | 1,198 |
| Diphtheria | 9 | Whooping Cough | 251 |
| Enteric Fever (including Paratyphoid) | 5 | Acute Poliomyelitis | 44 |
| Typhus | — | Food Poisoning | 129 |
| Meningococcal Infection | 28 | Scabies | 233 |
| Dysentery | 1,528 | Vermin | 411 |
| Malaria | 3 | Enteritis | — |
| Pneumonia | — | Ineffective Visits | 610 |
| Anthrax | 1 | Others | 10 |
| Total | 4,712 | ||
Smallpox.
No cases of smallpox were recorded. Three suspect cases were visited by the
Medical Officer of Health on requests by medical practitioners. These were not
confirmed, but follow-up visits were paid. In one of these cases, information was
received from the practitioner during the course of the evening, the patient being
retained at the doctor's surgery until seen by the Medical Officer of Health. The
circumstances were rather unusual, in that the patient was a native of British Guiana