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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91
Venereal disease
A summary of the work done in 1953 at the London V.D. out-patient clinics will be
found in Table 17, page 159. Approximately 75 per cent. of the patients were resident
in the County of London. The figures show a continued decline in the number of
patients suffering from syphilis. There was, however, an increase in the number suffering
from gonorrhoea. A large number of persons who were not suffering from venereal
disease continued to attend the clinics.
I here was no appreciable change in the defaulter rate. The table below gives the number of patients completing treatment and of defaulters as shown by analysis of the returns from the clinics for 1953 :
| Syphilis | Gonorrhoea | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| Number of patients discharged after completion of treatment and final test of cure | 753 | 702 | 2,783 | |
| Number of patients who ceased to attend after completion of treatment but before final tests of cure | 440 | 249 | 2,147 | 590 |
| Number of patients who ceased to attend before completion of treatment | 108 | 112 | 193 | 74 |
| Number of patients who died from the disease while still undergoing treatment | 8 | 4 | — | 1 |
The Council's male and female welfare officers continued to undertake the tracing
of contacts of patients, details of whom had been provided by hospitals, by medical
services of the British, Dominion and United States Armed Forces, and by local health
authorities. The welfare officers were also available to assist clinics in case of difficulty in
following up patients who defaulted.
The arrangements whereby the services of a full-time welfare officer are made
available for attendance at clinics at Holloway Prison and for following up contacts and
prisoners on discharge, to which reference was made in my Report for 1952, were
continued during the year.
Ten notifications were received from the Service authorities' of demobilised men
who were under treatment or surveillance for venereal disease and these men were
interviewed with a view to persuading them to continue attendance at civilian clinics.
Recuperative holidays
The demand for recuperative holidays continued fairly steadily throughout the year
except that the decrease first noted in 1951 in recommendations for holidays for unaccompanied
children continued. The fall in recommendations for unaccompanied
children under five years of age was particularly marked, the number sent for holidays
in 1953 being less than half that in the peak year of 1950.
Unaccompanied
children
Full use was made throughout the year of the accommodation provided for
36 children aged 3-8 years at the Council's recuperative holiday home at Littlehampton
and parties of 30 school children between the ages of 7 and 15 continued to be sent for
holidays at a seaside hotel under the Council's Private Hotel Scheme. The Council
continued to use the Women's Voluntary Services' Home at Aldeburgh and contributed
90 per cent. of approved maintenance expenditure.
On 1st July, 1953, the Council took over the placing of unaccompanied children
in recuperative holiday homes from the Invalid Children's Aid Association, which, as
the Council's agent, previously made the arrangements in the majority of cases. Since
taking over the placings, the Council has received valuable help from the Women's
Voluntary Services and from several of the holiday homes in the provision of escorts