London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1922
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
This page requires JavaScript
37
[1922
Non-Notifiable Diseases.—6,453 cases came to the knowledge of the Medical
Officer of Health during the year, viz.: 2,703 cases of Measles, 478 cases of Chicken
Pox, 539 of Whooping Cough, and 2,733 of other diseases.
The information respecting these cases was received from the teachers of 60 schools.
Exclusion of Scholars from Schools.—4,812 children were excluded from
classrooms of various schools owing to the presence of an infectious disease, chiefly
Diphtheria and Scarlet Fever, in the houses wherein they lived.
The non-notifiable diseases among children attending the Public Elementary Schools were:
| Disease. | Notifications. by Teachers. | Average of preceding 10 years. | Increase or Decrease. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | 2,703 | 1,382 | + 1,321 |
| Chicken Pox | 478 | 822 | - 344 |
| Whooping Cough | 539 | 618 | - 79 |
| Other Diseases | 2,733 | 2,565 | + 168 |
| 6,453 | 5,387 | + 1,066 |
Note.—"Other Diseases" include Mumps, Scabies, Ophthalmia, Itch, etc.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS.
1,864 examinations were made for the medical profession of the sputum, of swabs from
the throat and of the blood of patients suspected to be suffering from Phthisis, Diphtheria
and Enteric Fever, respectively.
This number is an increase of 87 on that of the preceding year. It is also 675 above
the decennial average. Of the total examinations, 430 or 23 per cent. gave positive results.
Diphtheria.—1,244 specimens were examined for Diphtheria, of which 291, or 23.4
per cent., were found to contain Diphtheria bacilli.
Enteric Fever.—9 specimens of blood were examined, all of which gave negative
results.
Phthisis.—611 specimens of sputum were examined, 139, or 22.7 per cent., of which
showed that the patients were suffering from this disease.
DIPHTHERIA—PATHOGENICITY TESTS.
1922.
No. Submitted for Negative Result. Positive Result. Non-Virulent. Virulent.
Examination.
20 7 13 5 8
See also Bacteriological Examinations of Milk, p. 54.