Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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23
Venereal Diseases.
In his annua] report for the year 1916, Sir William Hamer, at that time county
medical officer of health, gave particulars of a scheme for the provision of the
necessary facilities for the diagnosis and treatment of venereal disease which had
been formulated as a result of conferences between representatives of the counties
of London, Buckingham, Essex, Hertford, Kent, Middlesex and Surrey, and of the
county boroughs of Croydon, East Ham and West Ham.
The Local Government Board, in due course, signified its approval of the scheme,
which came into operation on 1st January, 1917, and is known as the London and
Home Counties Scheme.
Hospitals.—The general and special hospitals undertaking in-patient or outpatient
treatment and other work under the scheme at the end of 1932, were as
follows:—
General Hospitals.—St. Thomas's; Seamen's; Boyal Free (women); Guy's;
West London; Boyal Northern; Middlesex; St. Mary's; St. George's; University
College; Metropolitan; King's College; Albert Dock; Miller General; St. John's,
Lewisham; Westminster.
Special Hospitals.—South London hospital for Women; St. Paul's; Great
Ormond-street (Children); Mothers' hospital (Salvation Army), Lower Claptonroad,
E. ; Children's, Waddon.
Clinics with all-day medical and intermediate treatment have been provided at
St. Thomas's hospital; St. Paul's hospital; Guy's hospital; West London hospital;
the London County Council (Whitechapel) clinic (see page 26) and the Boyal
Free hospital (women).
The number of new patients attending the hospitals during the year 1932 was
27,952, of which 4,941 were suffering from syphilis, 11,222 from gonorrhoea, and 187
from soft chancre, while 11,602 were diagnosed as not suffering from these diseases.
A summary of the work done by the hospitals for each of the areas in the joint scheme during the year 1932 is shown in the following table:—
London. | Middlesex. | Essex. | Surrey. | Kent. | Herts. | Bucks. | East Ham. | West Ham. | Croydon. | Total. | "Other places." | Grand total. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Syphilis | 3,410 | 440 | 169 | 160 | 100 | 50 | 16 | 47 | 87 | 12 | 4,491 | 450 | 4,941 |
Soft chancre | 113 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 153 | 34 | 187 |
Gonorrhoea | 7,906 | 1,032 | 542 | 367 | 178 | 90 | 40 | 95 | 209 | 29 | 10,494 | 728 | 11,222 |
Not venereal | 8,234 | 1,099 | 559 | 527 | 206 | 121 | 50 | 98 | 189 | 77 | 11,160 | 442 | 11,602 |
Total | 19,663 | 2,584 | 1,278 | 1,057 | 487 | 269 | 107 | 242 | 492 | 119 | 26,298 | 1,654 | 27,952 |
Total attendances | 772,839 | 69,760 | 44,667 | 26660 | 12657 | 6,340 | 2,504 | 8,151 | 19640 | 2,835 | 966,053 | 17868 | 983,921 |
No.of in-patientdays | 34,533 | 2,778 | 1,824 | 2,217 | 1,043 | 694 | 193 | 159 | 352 | 284 | 44,077 | 9,946 | 54,023 |
Salvarsan subs.doses | 46,370 | 6,091 | 3,505 | 2,405 | 1,131 | 684 | 211 | 673 | 1,468 | 216 | 62,754 | 2,182 | 64,936 |
Spirochaetes | 2,514 | 104 | 135 | 86 | 27 | 31 | 8 | 21 | 48 | 11 | 2,985 | 103 | 3,088 |
Gonococci | 75,493 | 6,464 | 5,906 | 4,442 | 1,885 | 1,118 | 372 | 776 | 1,744 | 487 | 98,687 | 2.371 | 101,058 |
Wassermann | 30,956 | 3,075 | 2,024 | 1,785 | 717 | 502 | 189 | 400 | 749 | 237 | 40,634 | 1,332 | 41,966 |
Others | 33,620 | 2,130 | 7,004 | 1,092 | 653 | 283 | 137 | 1,174 | 2,740 | 165 | 48,998 | 1,247 | 50,245 |
Total | 142,583 | 11,773 | 15,069 | 7,405 | 3,282 | 1,934 | 706 | 2,371 | 5,281 | 900 | 191,304 | 5,053 | 196,357 |
Spirochaetes | 130 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 133 | — | 133 |
Gonococci | 5,787 | 197 | 446 | 472 | 55 | 72 | 14 | 3 | 16 | 995 | 8,057 | 76 | 8,133 |
Wassermann | 17,420 | 908 | 866 | 874 | 45 | 121 | 156 | 46 | 11 | 365 | 20,812 | 575 | 21,387 |
Others | 9,087 | 153 | 664 | 316 | 17 | 35 | 17 | 35 | 11 | 320 | 10,655 | 318 | 10,973 |
Total | 32,424 | 1,258 | 1,976 | 1,665 | 117 | 228 | 187 | 84 | 38 | 1,680 | 39.657 | 969 | 40,626 |