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
London County Council 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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11
The following table shows the age incidence of actual cases of cerebro-spinal
fever, encephalitis lethargica and poliomyelitis (including polioencephalitis).
Table 9.
| Age periods | Under 3 | 3-5 | 5-10 | 10-20 | 20-30 | 30-40 | 40-50 | 50-60 | Over 60 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerebro-spinal fever | 47 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 7 | - | 1 | 99 | ||
| Encephalitis lethargica | — | 3 | 1 | — | ||||||
| Poliomyelitis and polioencephalitis | 3 | — | 37 |
The following statement shows the number of cases notified and confirmed and the number of deaths, including deaths among un-notified cases recorded in the Registrar-General's death returns:—
| 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nos. notified and confirmed | 234 | 203 | 124 | 89 | 99 |
| Deaths in the same year among cases notified and confirmed | 100 | 90 | 62 | 50 | 52 |
| Deaths among cases notified in previous years | — | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| Deaths among un-notified cases | 48 | 24 | 15 | 19 | 24 |
| Nos. notified and confirmed | 40 | 18 | 24 | 14 | 11 |
| Deaths in the same year among cases notified and confirmed | 12 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Deaths among cases notified in previous years | 9 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Deaths among un-notified cases | 39 | 31 | 27 | 26 | 49 |
| Nos. notified and confirmed | 82 | 60 | 65 | 82 | 37 |
| Deaths in the same year among cases notified and confirmed | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Deaths among cases notified in previous years | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Deaths among un-notified cases | 9 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 5 |
In 1936 (53 weeks) particulars of 382 cases of food poisoning notified to the
borough medical officers of health under the provisions of the London County Council
(General Powers) Act, 1932, and the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, were received
compared with 490 for the year 1935. One of the notified cases died.
In some instances more than one member of a family was affected by illness,
but the majority were isolated cases and may have been due to idiosyncrasies of
the patients. Particulars are set out below in borough order of the only groups
of cases that call for special comment.
On 20th August, a woman was removed to a hospital in Greenwich suffering
from food poisoning. She died the following day. On 19th August, the woman
partook of some fried fish which was a portion of a supply purchased locally. No
other suspicious illness was reported in the area. At the post-mortem examination,
no pathogenic organisms could be isolated. The cause of death was stated to be
septicaemia following the eating of a poisonous portion of fish.
On 12th January, four persons residing in Hackney partook of tinned crab and
were removed to hospital. Specimens from the patients and of the tinned crab
were examined at one of the Council's laboratories, but they revealed no definite
proof of the cause of the illness. The patients were discharged from hospital within
2 or 3 days.
Food
poisoning.