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
Lewisham 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham Borough]
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53
SECTION "F" — PREVALENCE OF and CONTROL OVER
INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
The undermentioned diseases are notifiable by Medical Practitioners:—
Anthrax Ophthalmia neonatorum
Cholera Plague
Continued fever Pneumonia, acute influenzal
Diphtheria Pneumonia, acute primary
Dysentery (bacillary or amœbic) Poliomyelitis, acute
Encephalitis, acute Puerperal pyrexia
Enteric fever Relapsing fever
Erysipelas Scabies
Food poisoning Scarlet fever
Glanders Smallpox
Hydrophobia Tuberculosis, all forms
Malaria Typhoid fever, including paratyphoid
Measles Typhus fever
Membranous croup Whooping cough
Meningococcal infection
Principal notifiable diseases (other than Tuberculosis)
Number of Notified Cases (corrected for revised diagnosis) during
the year 1949 with comparative figures for the previous six years.
It should be borne in mind, that some of the wartime figures were
considerably affected by evacuation of population.
Table 34
| Diseases | Number of cases notified | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | 1948 | 1947 | 1946 | 1945 | 1944 | 1943 | |
| Anthrax | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cerebrospinal fever | 3 | 5 | 19 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Continued and relapsing fever | - | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Diphtheria | 3 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 24 | 24 | 26 |
| Dysentery | 9 | 24 | 26 | 57 | 31 | 65 | 23 |
| Encephalitis lethargica (acute) | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Enteric or typhoid fever | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 1 |
| Erysipelas | 35 | 33 | 45 | 34 | 50 | 86 | 57 |
| Food poisoning | 50 | 12 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Hydrophobia | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Malaria | 1 | 2 | 4 | 15 | — | — | — |
| Measles | 1,940 | 2,642 | 810 | 1,307 | 462 | 688 | 1,270 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 6 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 17 |
| Pneumonia | 84 | 67 | 104 | 108 | 71 | 110 | 176 |
| Polioencephalitis (acute) | — | — | 11 | — | — | — | — |
| Poliomyelitis (acute) | 35 | 9 | 61 | — | 5 | — | — |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 27 | 50 | 43 | 32 | 25 | 20 | 21 |
| Scabies | 29 | 54 | 122 | 348 | 566 | 654 | 515 |
| Scarlet fever | 520 | 332 | 254 | 155 | 197 | 270 | 683 |
| Smallpox | _ | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — |
| Whooping cough | 363 | 789 | 362 | 291 | 238 | 275 | 219 |
| TOTALS | 3,109 | 4,035 | 1,887 | 2,375 | 1,674 | 2,201 | 3,016 |