London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1972
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
Examinations carried out
Swabs (Diphtheria) 39
Sputum (Tuberculosis) 1
Faeces, Urine & Blood (Enteric Fever) 415
Faeces (Food Poisoning) 473
Faeces (Dysentery) 1,786
Swabs (Streptococci) 0
Other Specimens 138
Total 2,852
VENEREAL DISEASES
There were 6,925 new cases giving Islington addresses treated at hospital clinics in London during the
year, including 56 cases of syphilis and 1,085 cases of gonorrhoea.
I am not able to break down these cases into sexes and age groups, but the following statistics relating to persons attending the clinic at the Royal Northern Hospital in 1972 are a useful indication of the likely age and sex distribution in Islington residents.
| Age Group | Males | Females | Total | % of total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases | % of total | Cases | % of total | |||
| SYPHILIS | ||||||
| Under 16 | ||||||
| 16 and 17 | 1 | 4.17 | 1 | 4.0 | ||
| 18 and 19 | 1 | 4.17 | 1 | 4.0 | ||
| 20 and 24 | 7 | 29.16 | 7 | 28.0 | ||
| 25 and over | 15 | 62.50 | 1 | 100 | 16 | 64.0 |
| TOTALS | 24 | 100 | 1 | 100 | 25 | 100 |
| GONORRHOEA | ||||||
| Under 16 | 20 | 2.0 | 3 | 0.55 | 23 | 1.50 |
| 16 and 17 | 21 | 2.1 | 80 | 14.55 | 101 | 6.46 |
| 18 and 19 | 81 | 7.9 | 117 | 21.27 | 198 | 12.66 |
| 20 to 24 | 337 | 33.3 | 192 | 34.91 | 529 | 33.81 |
| 25 and over | 555 | 54.7 | 158 | 28.72 | 713 | 45.57 |
| TOTALS | 1014 | 100 | 550 | 100 | 1564 | 100 |