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 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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| Disease | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acute encephalitis (infective) | 1 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Acute encephalitis post infectious) | - | 1 | - | - | 2 | (2) | ||||
| Acute pneumonia (influenzal) | 11 | (11) | 33 | (33) | 17 | (17) | 43 | (43) | 7 | |
| Acute pneumonia (primary) | 41 | (41) | 57 | (57) | 60 | (60) | 55 | (55) | 22 | (22) |
| Acute poliomyelitis (paralytic) | 7 | (7) | 2 | (1) | 8 | (8) | 5 | (5) | 6 | (5) |
| Acute poliomyelitis (non-paralytic) | 6 | (6) | 3 | (2) | 3 | (3) | 3 | (3) | 3 | (2) |
| Diphtheria | 4 | 2 | (1) | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Dysentery | 22 | (22) | 110 | (109) | 16 | (16) | 106 | (105) | 45 | (45) |
| Erysipelas | 18 | (18) | 10 | (10) | 7 | (7) | 13 | (13) | 6 | (6) |
| Food poisoning or suspected food poisoning | 41 | (38) | 69 | (69) | 38 | (38) | 107 | (107) | 90 | (89) |
| Infective enteritis | 37 | (36) | 25 | (24) | 17 | (17) | 33 | (31) | 17 | (17) |
| Malaria | 1 | (1) | 1 | (1) | 1 | (1) | 2 | (2) | 1 | (1) |
| Measles | 944 | (940) | 1,512 | (1,511) | 1,092 | (1,092) | 858 | (854) | 55 | (55) |
| Meningococcal infection | 3 | (2) | 3 | (3) | 9 | (8) | 5 | (4) | 2 | |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 1 | 4 | (4) | 4 | (4) | 1 | (1) | 6 | (6) | |
| Paratyphoid fever | 2 | (2) | - | 3 | (2) | - | 2 | (2) | ||
| Puerperal pyrexia | 9 | (9) | 41 | (41) | 87 | (87) | 104 | (104) | 70 | (70) |
| Scabies | 51 | (51) | 35 | (35) | 33 | (33) | 38 | (38) | 34 | (34) |
| Scarlet fever | 165 | (157) | 84 | (79) | 107 | (105) | 71 | (71) | 47 | (47) |
| Smallpox | - | (—) | - | - | - | (—) | - | |||
| Typhoid or enteric fever | 1 | (1) | - | - | 1 | -- | ||||
| Whooping cough | 254 | (253) | 294 | (292) | 113 | (113) | 322 | (322) | 203 | (203) |
Bacteriological examinations.—The number of examinations made in connection with infectious disease was 286
(234) which included 15 (18) examinations of sputum for tuberculosis. Routine examinations were also made of the
water from the Council's swimming baths.
Visiting.—Puerperal pyrexia, ophthalmia neonatorum and infective enteritis cases are visited by the London County
Council's Health Visitors; and tuberculosis cases by the Nurses from the Chest Clinic. Smallpox case enquiries are
made by the male Sanitary Inspectors and food poisoning investigations by the Food Inspectors. Cases of other
diseases and associated enquiries are made by the Borough Council's women Visitors who made 1,231 (2,492) calls
in connection with this work.
International certificates.—During the year 1,731 (1,523) certificates of inoculation or vaccination were submitted
for the authentication of the signature of the medical practitioner concerned.
| Year | Population | Notifications | Deaths | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | Total | Incidence Rate* | Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | Total | Death Rate per 1,000 Population | |||
| Pulmonary | All Forms | |||||||||
| 1939 | 135,300 | 189 | 32 | 83 | 95 | 0.66 | 0.75 | |||
| 1940 | 97,860 | 168 | 37 | 205 | 72 | 14 | 86 | 0.73 | 0.88 | |
| 1941 | 77,640 | 184 | 210 | 2.7 | 85 | 97 | 1.09 | 1.25 | ||
| 1942 | 83,640 | 195 | 40 | 235 | 2.8 | 70 | 17 | 87 | 0.83 | 1.04 |
| 1943 | 90,580 | 229 | 257 | 74 | 5 | 79 | 0.82 | 0.87 | ||
| 1944 | 93,030 | 233 | 259 | 76 | 84 | 0.82 | 0.90 | |||
| 1945 | 99,790 | 224 | 245 | 2.5 | 59 | 9 | 68 | 0.59 | 0.68 | |
| 1946 | 117,670 | 24 | 285 | 2.4 | 95 | 5 | 100 | 0.80 | 0.85 | |
| 1947 | 127,450 | 273 | 295 | 2.3 | 71 | 83 | 0.56 | 0.65 | ||
| 1948 | 306 | 23 | 329 | 69 | 0.54 | 0.63 | ||||
| 1949 | 130,640 | 305 | 333 | 2.5 | 79 | 85 | 0.60 | 0.65 | ||
| 1950 | 130,600 | 246 | 23 | 269 | 53 | 55 | 0.41 | 0.42 | ||
| 1951 | 125,400 | 233 | 32 | 265 | 55 | 58 | 0.44 | 0.46 | ||
| 1952 | 124,800 | 241 | 267 | 32 | 1 | 33 | ||||
| 1983 | 123.800 | 247 | 19 | 24 | 0.19 | 0.21 | ||||
| 1 | ||||||||||
* All forms per 1,000 population.