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94 in 1964, an increase of no less than 30 during the year and
the highest number of such deaths recorded in Southwark. The
number of deaths in 1964 due to malignant disease was particularly
high and formed 23 per cent, of the total deaths. The lung
cancer mortality figures are in very great contrast to the total
number of deaths due to pulmonary tuberculosis which during 1964
amounted to 6 or 0.7 per cent, of all deaths. The number of
deaths due to bronchitis fell from 121 during 1963 to 85 in 1964.
Infectious Disease
The year 1964 was a relatively satisfactory one in so far
as the incidence of infectious disease is concerned. The total
number of notifications received was the lowest since 1954. The
reduction as compared with the previous year was largely due to
a fall in the number of cases of dysentery as well as to the
fact that 1964 was not a measles year. Even so too much
dysentery was present during the year. A very large proportion
of the cases occurred in institutions and involved persons who
had been admitted from a wide area of London generally. For the
second year in succession not one single case of poliomyelitis
was reported during the year. This is the first time that this
gratifying position has been achieved in Southwark for many
years and is a very satisfactory result of the widespread use of
polio vaccine in the area.
A reminder of the necessity to ensure that children are
immunised against all the diseases for which purpose suitable
means are available was presented by the occurrence in February
of three cases of diphtheria. A boy of 11 years, along with his
sister of 6 years were admitted to hospital as clinical cases.
In collaboration with the Divisional Medical Officer of the
London County Council an investigation of school and home
contacts was inmediately put in hand and a second sister of the
first case, aged 17 years, was admitted to hospital with the
disease. It is gratifying to be able to report that no further
cases were encountered, the disease being confined to members of
this one family. Paratyphoid was diagnosed in a Southwark child
who was being nursed in the same special unit in a local
hospital in which a child from another area was found to be
infected with Salmonella Paratyphi 'B'. There were no other
cases.
The 22 cases of food poisoning which were notified during
the year were, apart from 6 cases which occurred in three
families, single cases. Clostridium welchii was the causal
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