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 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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14
THE PREVALENCE OF DISEASE.
The following diseases are compulsorily notifiable under certain conditions in Paddington :
Acute Encephalitis Lethargica. Glanders.
Acute Influenzal Pneumonia. Hydrophobia.
Acute Polio-encephalitis. Infective Enteritis or Summer Diarrhoea.
Acute Polio-myelitis. Malaria.
Acute Primary Pneumonia. Measles.
Acute Rheumatism. Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
Anthrax. Plague.
Cerebro-spinal Fever. Puerperal Fever.
Chicken-pox. Puerperal Pyrexia.
Cholera. Relapsing Fever.
Continued Fever. Scarlatina or Scarlet Fever.
Diphtheria or Membranous Croup. Smallpox.
Dysentery. Tuberculosis.
Erysipelas. Typhoid or Enteric Fever.
German Measles. Typhus Fever.
The following table summarises the cases of notifiable diseases notified in the years 1921 to 1931:— Analysis of Notification Certificates (Uncorrected for Errors in Diagnosis).
| 1921. | 1922. | 1923. | 1924. | 1925. | 1926. | 1927. | 1928. | 1929. | 1930. | 1931. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acute Encephalitis Lethargica | 7 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — |
| „ Influenzal Pneumonia | 27 | 72 | 33 | 87 | 88 | 76 | 107 | 59 | 135 | 40 | 97 |
| „ Primary Pneumonia | 105 | 254 | 302 | 369 | 265 | 184 | 183 | 202 | 247 | 168 | 243 |
| „ Polio-encephalitis | 1 | — | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| „ Polio-myelitis | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| ,, Rheumatism | — | (a) 34 | 76 | 52 | 43 | 37 | |||||
| Anthrax | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Cerebro-spinal Fever | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 |
| Chicken-pox | — | 22 | 465 | 395 | 459 | 599 | 461 | 567 | 382 | 515 | 555 |
| Continued Fever | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Diphtheria | 442 | 401 | 219 | 278 | 336 | 462 | 367 | 302 | 311 | 366 | 254 |
| Dysentery | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Erysipelas | 83 | 77 | 54 | 69 | 64 | 76 | 90 | 90 | 69 | 74 | 67 |
| German Measles | 83 | 144 | 48 | 458 | 375 | 124 | 78 | 109 | 1,163 | 86 | 58 |
| Infective Enteritis or Summer Diarrhœa | — | — | — | — | — | — | (a) 6 | 20 | 63 | 30 | 40 |
| Malaria | 7 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | 1 | — |
| Measles | 80 | 1973 | 324 | 2757 | 879 | 1738 | 154 | 2862 | 210 | 1790 | 541 |
| Membranous Croup | 3 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 34 | 15 | 22 | 18 | 23 | 16 | 15 | 24 | 9 | 15 | 18 |
| Puerperal Fever | 16 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| „ Pyrexia | — | — | — | — | — | (a) 17 | 34 | 32 | 42 | 37 | 32 |
| Scarlet Fever | 827 | 529 | 323 | 290 | 264 | 199 | 320 | 519 | 323 | 356 | 379 |
| Smallpox | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | 3 | — |
| Tuberculosis—Total | 335 | 312 | 338 | 379 | 400 | 356 | 381 | 321 | 335 | 284 | 311 |
| Pulmonary | 244 | 204 | 222 | 242 | 231 | 218 | 212 | 196 | 242 | 196 | 218 |
| Other Forms | 91 | 108 | 116 | 137 | 169 | 138 | 169 | 125 | 93 | 88 | 93 |
| Typhoid or Enteric Fever | 13 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 25 | 19 | 10 | 9 |
(a) First Year of Notification.
The following table furnishes an analysis of some of the notifiable diseases according to age, sex and ward of the Borough:— 1931. Notifications.
| Queen's Park. | Harrow Road. | Maida Vale. | Town. | Church. | Westbourne. | Lancaster Gate. | Hyde Park. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West. | East. | |||||||||||||||||
| M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | |
| Diphtheria and Memb. Croup | 11 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 10 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 35 | 29 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| Typhoid and Continued Fever | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | — | 3 | 1 | — |
| Erysipelas | 3 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 7 | — | 3 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 4 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | — |
| Pneumonia—A. Influenzal | 4 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | — | 2 |
| „ A. Primary | 9 | 6 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 7 | 10 | 34 | 43 | 34 | 22 | 3 | 2 | — | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Puerperal Fever | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| „ Pyrexia | — | 2 | — | 5 | — | 4 | — | 2 | — | 6 | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Scarlet Fever | 6 | 9 | 23 | 34 | 25 | 33 | 20 | 19 | 43 | 58 | 31 | 42 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 7 |