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 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The weekly notifications rose gradually to 28 in the 29th week, and did not return to
the inter-epidemic level until about ten weeks later. Of the total notifications during
the year, 235 were paralytic and 97 non-paralytic. At all ages (except the 10-14 range)
the paralytic exceeded the non-paralytic in number.
The age incidence in 1953 was as follows :
| Age | No. | % |
|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 116 | 35.0 |
| 5-14 | 104 | 31.3 |
| 15+ | 112 | 33.7 |
| Total | 332 | 100.0 |
There was again an increase in the proportion of notifications falling in the 0-4 years age group, but this is seen in better perspective in the following figures from 1947 onwards :
| Year | Percentage of notifications in the 0-4 age group |
|---|---|
| 1947 | 27.9 |
| 1948 | 33.3 |
| 1949 | 53.3 |
| 1950 | 34.9 |
| 1951 | 24.1 |
| 1952 | 30.7 |
| 1953 | 35.0 |
Rheumatic
fever
Deaths in London from rheumatic fever in 1953 were 24, of which 8 were children
under 15.
Account must also be taken of all deaths under 45 years assigned to heart disease,
since, apart from deaths due to congenital heart disease, the vast majority of these deaths
are rheumatic in origin. The following Table shows the distribution of heart disease
deaths under 45 years, according to age, in recent years :
| Year | 0-4 | 5-14 | 15-44 | Total | Rate per 1,000 living (0-44) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 1 | 11 | 398 | 410 | 0.197 |
| 1948 | 1 | 9 | 338 | 348 | 0.167 |
| 1949 | 5 | 3 | 350 | 358 | 0.172 |
| 1950 | — | 4 | 379 | 383 | 0.184 |
| 1951 | 1 | 1 | 338 | 340 | 0.156 |
| 1952 | 2 | 4 | 316 | 322 | 0.149 |
| 1953 | 2 | 4 | 273 | 279 | 0.130 |
There would appear to be a fairly steady downward trend in the death-rate, interrupted
in 1949 and 1950, but subsequently resumed. Under the age of 15 the number of
deaths is so small that considerable fluctuation must be expected from random causes,
and the six deaths in this age group in 1952 and 1953 compared with the lower figures
of 1950 and 1951 does not necessarily mean that any significant rise has taken place.
Scabies
Scabies became notifiable in London in August, 1943. Notifications in 1953
numbered 527, as compared with 535 in 1952, continuing the decline since the initiation
of notification. The attack rate (0.158 per 1,000) in 1953 was less than one-fortieth
of the rate (6.70) experienced in 1944, the first complete year for which notifications were
received after the disease became notifiable.
Scarlet fever
Scarlet fever incidence in 1953 was 3,425 cases (1.02 per 1,000) compared with
5,263 cases (1.56 per 1,000) in 1952. The incidence was predominantly among children
of school age. The notification rate of 1.02 per 1,000 in 1953 was one of the lowest on
record, and mortality (two deaths—both female, one under 5 and the other over 65)