London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Wandsworth 1950

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]

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12 Report of the Medical Officer of Health for 1950
Influenzal Pneumonia and Acute Primary Pneumonia
These are the notifiable forms of pneumonia.
Sixty-seven cases of acute influenzal pneumonia and 130 cases
of acute primary pneumonia were notified. Six of the former anl
four of the latter died.
The total number of deaths credited to all forms of pneumonia
during the year was 132 compared with 163 in 1949.
Malaria
No cases were reported.
Erysipelas
Sixty:nine cases were notified. No deaths occurred.
Other Infective Diseases
Fifteen deaths occurred from syphilis.
Scabies
Forty-seven cases were notified.
Two hundred and eighty-two cases of scabies were treated at
the Council's Cleansing Station under the supervision of the two
bathing attendants. The majority of the cases were treated by the
benzyl benzoate method, and received a course of two baths each.
Sixty-three other persons received cleansing treatment for various
conditions.
Food Poisoning
One hundred and twenty-seven cases were notified during the
year, 11 being subsequently not confirmed.
All these cases were unrelated and in three only were organisms
identified. Two samples of foodstuffs were submitted to the
laboratory for bacteriological examination and the results were
negative.
In addition to the above cases, an outbreak of diarrhoea
involving 51 persons occurred in May at the Springfield Mental
Hospital. Forty-nine of the patients recovered within 24 hours.
The other two, male patients aged 41 years and 76 years, respectively,
died. No organisms of typhoid, dysentery or salmonella
infection were found on a post-mortem examination of the two
fatal cases, and the cause of the outbreak was written off as
unknown.