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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 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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15
Seasonal prevalence.—The following table shows the numbers of cases notified in each fourweekly
period during 1929.
1929.
Notifications of Diphtheria and Membranous Croup.
Four-Weekly Periods.
| Period No. 1. | Period No. 2. | Period No. 3. | Period No. 4. | Period No. 5. | Period No. 0. | Period No. 7. | Period No. 8. | Period No. 9. | Period No. 10. | Period No. 11. | Period No. 12. | Period No. 13 | Totals. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 906 | 845 | 810 | 818 | 683 | 683 | 803 | 662 | 640 | 1,094 | 1,360 | 1,372 | 1,222 | 11,898 |
| Paddington | 19 | 14 | 18 | 11 | 31 | 20 | 22 | 9 | 17 | 39 | 38 | 41 | 38 | 317 |
| Wards— Queen's Park | 3 | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22 |
| Harrow Road | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | — | 2 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 56 |
| Maida Vale | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | 8 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 77 |
| Town | — | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | l | 1 | 6 | 18 |
| Church | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 54 |
| Westbourne | 1 | 3 | 6 | — | 5 | 2 | — | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 51 |
| Lancaster Gate, West | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 4 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 12 |
| Lancaster Gate, East | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 9 |
| Hyde Park | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
Diphtheria Carriers.—There is a clinic for diphtheria carriers held at St. Mary's Hospital,
but only a small number of 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 30 phials of 4,000 units and 12 phials of 500 units were distributed.
SMALLPOX.
Six cases of this disease were brought to notice during the year. Of these three were
notified, one was not notified until the case had left the borough, and the other two were
residents of other areas attending a hospital in Paddington.
One case was that of a woman who arrived in Paddington after a voyage on the
“Tuscania,” where several smallpox cases occurred. Shortly after arrival she was found
to be suffering from smallpox which was of the classical or eastern type, somewhat modified
by the fact that vaccination had been performed during the incubation period of the
disease.
The remaining-cases were of the mild prevailing type of the disease. Two of them,
occurring in Queen's Park Ward, were thought to have contracted the disease from a
previous case in Willesden. In another case occurring in Westbourne Ward the source of
infection was not traced. A woman in-patient of the Hospital for Women and Children,
Harrow Road, was found to be suffering from smallpox after a long stay in the Hospital. She
was probably infected by some visitor. Owing to the energetic measures adopted by the
authorities at the Hospital, no further cases occurred.
A child, living in Willesden, was found to be suffering from smallpox whilst attending
the out-patient department of Paddington Green Children's Hospital.
Towards the latter part of the year smallpox was prevalent in the east end of London.
Very few cases, however, occurred in the western boroughs.
During the year all vaccinations of smallpox contacts were performed by the Public
Vaccinator. None were performed by the Medical Officer of Health under the Public Health
(Smallpox Prevention) Regulations, 1917.
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.