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
Hornsey 1956
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hornsey, Borough of]
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| Age | Cause | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2- 4 | Congenital | 5 | |
| 5-10 | |||
| Congenital | 7 | ||
| T.B. Meningitis | 2 | (1950-52)(1953) | |
| Suppurative Otitis Media | (1949-50)(1953) | ||
| 11-16 | Congenital | 13 | |
| Pneumonia | 1 | (1946) | |
| Meningitis | 3 | (1943)(1945)(1947) | |
| T.B. Meningitis | (1951-52)(1950) | ||
| Suppurative Otitis Media | 1 | (1948-51) | |
| Dates in brackets show date of causative illness. | |||
| Present Age | Cause | |
|---|---|---|
| 10-15 | Congenital Deafness | 11 |
| T.B. Meningitis | 1 (1950) | |
| Purulent Meningitis | 2 (1945)(1947) | |
| 16-20 | Congenital | 1 |
| T.B. Meningitis | 1 (1950) | |
| Purulent Meningitis | 3 (1937) (1941) (infancy) | |
| Suppurative Otitis Media | 2 (1938) (Not known) | |
| Dates in brackets show dates of causative illness. | ||
It will be seen that the cases of purulent meningitis occured soon after
the discovery of the clinical uses of the sulphonamides circa 1935 and
cover the years 1937 to 1947; but no child has been admitted to the
school roll who has had meningitis since that date. Similarly cases of
tuberculous meningitis first began to recover soon after the initiation of
streptomycin therapy circa 1948, but many of these children were deafened.
Once the dangers of excessive streptomycin therapy became apparent
these cases too have appeared to lessen and no child has so far been
admitted who was treated with streptomycin later than 1953.
As far as suppurative otitis media is concerned, the picture is not very
clear, but it does appear to be a continuing cause of deafness. Clinical
impressions lead one to believe that the disease, at least in its chronic
form, is less common and more efficiently treated and it is to be hoped
that fewer cases will require to attend special schools in the future.
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