London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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City of London 1946

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]

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INFECTIOUS DISEASE.

Notifications received :—Total cases notified.Cases admitted to Hospital.
These consisted of the following :—
Opthalmia Neonatorum11
Paratyphoid11
Scabies121
Measles93
Scarlet Fever32
Tuberculosis102
Erysipelas1—
Diphtheria1—
Whooping Cough2—
Chicken Pox1—

SMALLPOX AND TYPHUS FEVER CONTACTS.
Cases of Smallpox occurred on ships arriving at Liverpool and Southampton. Contacts were
allowed to leave the ships on condition that they gave to the Port Health Authorities their names
and the addresses of their destination. These names and addresses were communicated to the Medical
Officers of Health of the districts to which the contacts were proceeding, who were responsible for
surveillance of the contacts. In the City enquiries were made in regard to 53 contacts and appropriate
action taken.
Under the Public Health (Aircraft) Regulations, 1938, notifications are received of passengers
arriving in this country by air from areas infected with Typhus or Smallpox. Enquiries were made
in connection with 108 passengers during 1946.

PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES—TUBERCULOSIS.

Tuberculosis Dispensary:—
No. of Sessions held205
No. of Patients attending :—
Residents222665
Non-Residents443
No. of New Patients171
No. of Resident Patients admitted to Sanatoria, Hospices, etc.3
No. of Artificial Pneumothorax Refills given184
No. of Visits made to Homes61
No. of Contacts kept under observation16

Milk was supplied to two patients during the year.
The Minister of Health, during 1943, made available to local authorites funds for the payment
of allowances to persons who have to give up remunerative work in order to undergo treatment,
either at home or in sanatorium. So far as the County of London is concerned the London County
Council are the Assessing Authority for the payment of allowances, but the Minister has laid down a
scale of payments which is as follows:—
A tuberculous married man with a dependent wife or a tuberculous wife whose husband is
dependent on her income, receives jointly 39s. per week while the patient is undergoing treatment at
home, this sum being decreased by ten shillings should the patient be in sanatorium. A single person
is entitled to 25s. per week,, while away from work but not in sanatorium, such payments ceasing if
the patient enters sanatorium. Additional sums are payable in respect of dependent childrer, or
infirm persons, and allowances are made towards rent. These payments are only payable where
treatment is hoped to be " curative," and are not payable to " incurables," and in the former case
must only be paid for six months after discharge from sanatorium except with the approval of the
Minister. The object of these allowances is to enable patients to undergo curative treatment.
During the year allowances were paid to five patients, in accordance with the above-mentioned
scale.
VENEREAL DISEASE CENTRE.
Sessions held daily except Sunday.
During the year a total of 1,461 persons attended the V.D. Treatment Centre at St. Bartholomew's
Hospital.
Cases of Syphilis numbered 430 (258 males and 172 females).
Cases of Gonorrhoea numbered 352 (342 males and 10 females).
Cases of Soft Chancre numbered 1 (male).
678 cases (593 males and 85 females) attending were found not to be suffering from any venereal
disease.
Of the cases of Syphilis attending for the first time only 26 were in the primary stage.
42 including 2 service cases, were in the secondary stage and 31 in later stages.
9 were cases of congenital syphilis.
246 cases of syphilis were still under treatment or observation from the previous year.
32 who had been removed from the register, returned suffering from a relapse. 43 cases, including
15 Service cases, attended Bart's for the first time but had commenced their treatment elsewhere.
Of the cases of Gonorrhoea, 140 attended in the first year of infection and 36 in later stages. 81
were continuing treatment or observation from the previous year ; 6 were cases which had relapsed
and 89 attended Bart's for the first time having commenced their treatment elsewhere.
8 cases of Syphilis ceased to attend before completion of treatment, and 17 after completion of
treatment but before final tests of cure.