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 1938

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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23
Clinics with all-day medical and intermediate treatment have been provided at
four hospitals, and at the London County Council (Whitechapel) clinic (see page 24).
In addition, eight hospitals provide facilities for all-day intermediate treatment.
The number of new patients attending the hospitals during the year 1938 was
25,897, of whom 2,864 were suffering from syphilis, 9,271 from gonorrhoea, and 244
from soft chancre, while 13,518 were diagnosed as not suffering from these diseases.

Table: A summary of the work done by the hospitals for each of the areas in the joint scheme during the year 1938 is shown in the following table:—Table 34

A summary of the work done by the hospitals for each of the areas in the joint scheme during the year 1938 is shown in the following table:—

Table 34

LondonMiddlesexEssexSurreyKentHerts.Bucks.East HamWest HamCroydonTotal"Other places"Grand total
New patients—
Syphilis1,929322871046750171831192,6442202,864
Soft chancre905758--2--117127244
Gonorrhœa5,9761,0964543651551495884193338,5637089,271
Not venereal8,4801,7597337163511901061362888212,84167713,518
Total16,4753,1821,2811,19058138918124051213424,1651,73225,897
Total attendances608,24790,69944,41833,81816,0238,0313,57411,02018,2983,299837,42715,296852,723
No. of in-patient days27,7634,3673,6722,1872,14550023618245235241,85611,05552,911
Pathological examinations
For or at centres—
Spirochaetes2,0411971275121586434762,5971742,771
Gonococci94,10316,89411,2625,7312,2671,6869622,0373,928549139,4195,258144,677
Wassermann33,1754,9372,3522,31091960831746486826846,2181,73747,955
Others45,4096,2334,8473,2021,3518153939921,84434965,4352,87268,307
Total174,72828,26118,58811,2944,5583,1671,6783,5366,6871,172253,66910,041263,710
For practitioners—
Spirochaetes5—12—————412—12
Gonococci6,5382375085685039202221,4019,38579,392
Wassermann16,6327352,1981,46522815415840685522,47138322,854
Others11,7603841,4581,01112480192151,34816,21029516,505
Total34,9351,3564,1653,04640227319763333,60848,07868548,763

Table: The distribution of new cases of venereal disease between the sexes is shown in the following table, the figures for the preceding years being given for comparison:—Table 35

The distribution of new cases of venereal disease between the sexes is shown in the following table, the figures for the preceding years being given for comparison:—

Table 35

YearNew casesTotal venereal cases
SyphilisSoft chancreGonorrhoea
M.F.M.F.M.F.M.F.
1918-22 (average)5,2883,134422168,5522,26914,2625,419
1923-27 (average)3,9682,33027768,9072,77613,1525,112
1928-32 (average)3,2811,699270108,2842,51411,8354,223
19333,0721,638185108,7913,31312,0484,961
19342,6731,50615968,6893,03111,5214,543
19352,5781,352336148,1842,76811,0984,134
19361,8661,05575217,7242,3199,8653,395
19371,7831,14421187,6362,3169,6303,468
19381,7991,06523597,1202,1519,1543,225

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Attendances
For the year 1938 the total attendances of V.D. patients was 767,765, and the
ratio of attendances of V.D. patients to new V.D. cases was 62, compared with 69
in 1937. The drop in the number of attendances, is attributable very largely to the
use of drugs of the sulphanilamide group which considerably reduces the number of
attendances reouired.