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
St Pancras 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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67
Application for admission should be made to the Medical Officer of Health at the
Town Hall, but, if urgent, the Metropolitan Asylums Board will admit the patient on
the request of the medical practitioner in attendance.
Yours faithfully,
G. Sowden,
Medical Officer of Health.
OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM.
Thirty-seven cases were notified or otherwise came to knowledge during the year.
This equals an incidence rate of 9'5 per 1,000 births. Of the 37 cases, 18 were regarded
as slight, 14 of moderate severity, and 5 were severe. Thirteen cases were admitted to the
special hospital provided for the treatment of cases of this disease—St. Margaret's, Leighton
Road, N.W.; 24 cases were treated at home, the help of a visiting nurse being provided in
21 of these cases. In 4 cases the children were illegitimate. Recovery was complete in all
the 37 cases.
The following table gives particulars of the cases which have occurred during the past 5 years, and also states who was in attendance at the birth:—
| Year. | Number of Cases. | Rate per 1,000 births. | Number of cases occurring in Births attended by:— | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctors. | Institution Midwives. | Private Midwives. | Students. | Hospital In-patient. | |||
| 1921 | 101 | 21.2 | 15 | 25 | 15 | 20 | 20 |
| 1922 | 59 | 12.9 | 5 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| 1923 | 51 | 11.7 | 8 | 3 | 15 | 9 | 16 |
| 1924 | 52 | 12.6 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 16 | 14 |
| 1925 | 37 | 9.5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 7 |
| Total | 300 | 13.0 | 41 | 54 | 59 | 77 | 69 |
CEREBRO-SPINAL MENINGITIS
(Cerebro-Spinal Fever).
Seven cases were notified, but two of these were subsequently found to have been
incorrectly diagnosed. Two other cases, notified to be suffering from Encephalitis Lethargica
(sleepy sickness) were discovered at the post-mortem examinations to have died from Cerebrospinal
Meningitis. There were therefore 7 actual cases of this disease during the year, and
4 of these proved fatal.
The following table gives the number of actual cases, and the case mortality during each of the past 10 years:—
| Year. | Cases. | Deaths. | Death Rate per cent. | Year. | Cases. | Deaths. | Death Rate per cent. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | 20 | 12 | 60 | 1921 | 4 | 3 | 75 |
| 1917 | 21 | 16 | 76 | 1922 | 6 | 6 | 100 |
| 1918 | 9 | 8 | 89 | 1923 | 2 | 2 | 100 |
| 1919 | 8 | 7 | 87 | 1924 | 1 | 1 | 100 |
| 1920 | 5 | 3 | 60 | 1925 | 7 | 4 | 57 |