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
Wandsworth 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]
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76 Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
Eight of these were of infants under one year, three from one
to two years, three from two to five years, and seven over five years.
As in previous years inquiries were made from the medical
attendant, and in all the cases the deaths were stated to have been
caused by simple Meningitis.
Bacteriological Examinations.
During the year 841 bacteriological examinations were made
at the Lister Institute, compared with 624 in 1911, 318 in 1910, 397
in 1909, 491 in 1908, 466 in 1907, 407 in 1906, 174 in 1905, 121 in
1904, 125 in 1903, 98 in 1902, and 66 in 1901.
The following Table shows the number of examinations in
each sub-district and for the whole Borough, also the disease for
which the examination was made and the result of such examination
| Clapham. | Putney. | Streatham. | Tooting. | Wands-worth. | Whole Borough. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria. | ||||||
| Negative | 59 | 197 | 138 | 22 | 159 | 575 |
| Positive | 36 | 71 | 46 | 10 | 70 | 233 |
| Enteric Fever. | ||||||
| Negative | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 21 |
| Positive | ... | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| Totals | 98 | 278 | 191 | 37 | 237 | 841 |
In 233 out of 808 examinations for the bacillus of Diphtheria
the result was positive, and in 12 out of 33 examinations of blood in
suspected cases of Enteric Fever the Widal re-action was obtained.
The increase in Putney was due to the examination on three occasions
of all persons in an Institution in which several cases of Diphtheria
occurred.