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 1961
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Venereal disease
| Year | New cases | Total attendances | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syphilis | 5. Chancre | Gonorrhoea | Total venereal cases | Total non-venereal cases | ||||||||
| M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | M. | F. | |
| 1952 | 811 | 490 | 91 | 3 | 5,625 | 1,176 | 6,527 | 1,669 | 16,920 | 5,632 | 220,871 | 100,420 |
| 1953 | 720 | 401 | 88 | 4 | 6,103 | 1,546 | 6,911 | 1,951 | 17,615 | 6,121 | 220,316 | 102,365 |
| 1954 | 651 | 340 | 64 | 2 | 5,816 | 1,422 | 6,531 | 1,764 | 17,875 | 6,304 | 219,258 | 100,554 |
| 1955 | 625 | 400 | 77 | 6 | 5,916 | 1,457 | 6,618 | 1.863 | 18,735 | 7,056 | 221,381 | 103,815 |
| 1956 | 691 | 493 | 72 | 4 | 7,468 | 1,718 | 8,231 | 2,215 | 19,802 | 7,468 | 222,695 | 101,034 |
| 1957 | 701 | 562 | 78 | 2 | 8,943 | 2,003 | 9,722 | 2,567 | 20,554 | 8,102 | 223,821 | 97,149 |
| 1958 | 733 | 490 | 66 | 3 | 10,619 | 2,307 | 11,418 | 2,800 | 21,906 | 8,857 | 215,934 | 89,407 |
| 1959 | 799 | 493 | 93 | — | 11,722 | 2,599 | 12,614 | 3,092 | 24,013 | 9,179 | 229,368 | 88,232 |
| 1960 | 908 | 410 | 68 | 2 | 13,077 | 2,905 | 14,053 | 3,317 | 26,494 | 10,647 | 240,303 | 96,113 |
| 1961 | 1,067 | 563 | 47 | — | 13,573 | 2,906 | 14,687 | 3,469 | 28,081 | 11,824 | 253,806 | 93,398 |
1957 1958 1959 1960 1961
Percentage of patients resident in County of London 81 82 83 81 83
Number of patients completing treatment and of defaulters—
Syphilis—patients completing treatment—
Males 828 631 579 526 572
Females 627 554 508 434 362
patients not completing treatment—
Males 675 870 672 677 776
Females 294 292 336 431 390
Gonorrhoea—patients completing treatment—
Males 4,938 5,237 4,941 5,700 7,800
Females 985 1,165 1,199 1,334 1,269
patients not completing treatment—
Males 3,501 4,128 4,900 6,536 8,085
Females 900 1,161 1,312 1,485 1,550
Tracing of contacts of patients—
Analysis of work undertaken by Council's welfare officers
1957 1958 1959 1960 1961
Contacts referred by hospitals, medical services of
the Armed Forces and by local health authorities 384 297 246 282 188
Insufficient information for following-up 276 191 102 91 33
Contacts brought to treatment 27 43 57 72 67
Contacts traced but not brought to treatment 14 3 7 13 15
Contacts not traced 67 60 80 106 73
In addition the female welfare officers attended clinics at St. Paul's, St. Mary's, St. Thomas' and London
hospitals and at H.M. Prison, Holloway and followed-up persons defaulting in attendance at these clinics.
Health education
During the year the Council was invited to submit evidence to a Joint Committee of
the English and Scottish Health Service Councils (the Cohen Committee). This committee
was set up to consider fresh fields for health education, having regard to recent developments
in medicine; how far it is possible to assess the results of health education in the
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