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
Paddington 1926
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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1926.
Notifications.
Diphtheria and Membranous Croup.
Four-Weekly Periods.
| Period No. 1. | Period No. 2. | Period No. 3. | Period No. 4. | Period No. 5. | Period No. 6. | Period No. 7. | Period No. 8. | Period No. 9. | Period No. 10. | Period No. 11. | Period No. 12. | Period No. 13. | Totals. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 1,214 | 1,280 | 1,215 | 1,133 | 1,017 | 876 | 899 | 831 | 724 | 1,055 | 1,239 | 1,138 | 1,040 | 13,661 |
| Paddington | 48 | 55 | 35 | 23 | 36 | 35 | 30 | 40 | 21 | 46 | 27 | 40 | 27 | 463 |
| Wards— | ||||||||||||||
| Queen's Park | 2 | 7 | 2 | — | 8 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 73 |
| Harrow Road | 11 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 10 | 13 | — | 105 |
| Maida Vale | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 49 |
| Town | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 25 |
| Church | 14 | 18 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 91 |
| Westbourne | 13 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 98 |
| Lancaster Gate, West | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Lancaster Gate, East | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 |
| Hyde Park | 2 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 11 |
Diphtheria Carriers.—There is a Clinic for Diphtheria carriers held at St. Mary's Hospital, but
only a dozen or so cases attend during the course of a year. These are mostly contacts of acute
diphtheria cases sent for treatment by medical practitioners.
Anti-Diphtheritic Serum.—This is stocked at the Town Hall and supplied to medical practitioners
on request for the use of patients who are too poor to obtain such serum privately. During the year
1 phial of 8,000 units, 34 phials of 4,000 units and 19 phials of 500 units were distributed.
SMALL-POX.
No cases of the disease were notified during 1926. A number of persons who had been in contact
with the disease on board a ship or in another district were kept under observation.
CHICKEN-POX.
Chicken-pox has been notifiable in Paddington since November, 28th, 1922, but the sections of
the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, dealing with disinfection, exposure to infection, etc., are not
in force as regards this disease. The only other area in London in which chicken-pox is notifiable
is the Port of London.
Chicken-pox was widely prevalent in Paddington in 1926, the number of cases reported being
599, as compared with 459 in 1925, 395 in 1924, and 465 in 1923. The maximum incidence was
during the period May-July, the " peak " being during the week ending June 26th, when 76 cases
were reported.
On October 9th, I reported as follows to the Public Health Committee:—
The expenditure on notification fees was:—
| £ | s. | d. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In 1924 | 66 | 9 | 6 |
| In 1925 | 52 | 5 | 6 |
| In 1926 (first 32 weeks), | 52 | 9 | 6 |
| The number of cases of the disease notified was:— | |||
| In 1923 | 465 | ||
| In 1924 | 395 | ||
| In 1925 | 459 | ||
In addition to the cases notified by doctors a large number of cases are reported by the
school teachers to the health department. In fact most of the cases which are not brought
to my knowledge by the school teachers are either adults, children of better class families or
cases occurring during school holidays. So far as concerns the bringing to my notice of poor
children suffering from the disease, the school notices would be almost sufficient, without the
necessity for notification by doctors.
But we may now ask whether it is of importance that cases should be brought to my notice
and whether any good results.
Chicken-pox is a very infectious, but quite harmless complaint. It is not to be classed
with the dangerous diseases such as measles and diphtheria. It has been frequently made
notifiable in sanitary areas in the past, but only for temporary reasons, that is in times of smallpox
prevalence, and because of its superficial resemblance to small-pox. In no other London
Borough is chicken-pox permanently notifiable, and in very few localities, I believe, in England.