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 1962
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Already many national and local studies have provided confirmation of the increase
in the incidence of the venereal diseases and offered statistical evidence from which valid
conclusions may be drawn. The figures given in table (ii) add to the information available
on these matters, but the purpose of this report is not so much to interpret them as to
indicate what the Council is doing and hopes to do to combat venereal disease.
It would be appropriate to mention here that all the statistical evidence should be
treated with caution. It is well known, for example, that some persons who become infected
repeatedly use different names and different clinics thereby creating an imbalance between
'new cases' and 'personsConversely, treatments by private practitioners and self
medication conceal a volume of infection which it is difficult to assess, but which has been
estimated as about a quarter of that dealt with in out-patient clinics. In addition, it should
be remembered that available evidence suggests that the majority of immigrants are first
infected after arrival in this country.
Contact tracing—The following-up of persons to ensure completion of treatment and
the tracing of those known or believed to be sources of infection is an activity which the
Council shares with the hospital authorities. In this field specially-appointed Council
welfare officers participate with almoners and other hospital and clinic staff in the work
of contact tracing. In addition, the Council's officers endeavour to trace contacts referred
by the medical services of the Armed Forces and from local health authorities outside
London. An analysis of this work is given in table (iii).
Table (ii)—
| Contacts referred by hospitals, medical services of the Armed Forces and by local health authorities | 297 | 246 | 282 | 188 | 160 |
| Insufficient information for following-up | 191 | 102 | 91 | 33 | 11 |
| Contacts brought to treatment | 43 | 57 | 72 | 67 | 57 |
| Contacts traced but not brought to treatment | 3 | 7 | 13 | 15 | 4 |
| Contacts not traced | 60 | 80 | 106 | 73 | 88 |
In addition the female welfare omcers 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.
A record of patients completing treatment and of defaulters has also been kept.
Table (iii)—
| 1958 | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 631 | 579 | 526 | 572 | 507 |
| Females | 554 | 508 | 434 | 362 | 359 |
| patients not completing treatment— | |||||
| Males | 870 | 672 | 677 | 776 | 682 |
| Females | 292 | 336 | 431 | 390 | 389 |
| Males | 5,237 | 4,941 | 5,700 | 7,800 | 5,398 |
| Females | 1,165 | 1,199 | 1,334 | 1,269 | 1,129 |
| patients not completing treatment— | |||||
| Males | 4,128 | 4,900 | 6,536 | 8,085 | 4,929 |
| Females | 1,161 | 1,312 | 1,485 | 1,550 | 1,237 |
It is accepted that the spread of venereal disease, particularly gonorrhoea, can be closely
associated with prostitutes who, for obvious reasons, usually the possible curtailment of
their activities, are reluctant to attend for treatment. It is because of this that the Council's
welfare officers mainly concern themselves with tracing women contacts of men who have
become infected. Special qualities are called for if success is to be achieved in this difficult
work and at present four full-and one part-time women officers are employed; an experienced
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