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REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
FOR THE CITY OF LONDON FOR THE YEAR 1960.
To the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor, Aldermen and Commoners of the Corporation of London.
Guildhall,
E.C.2.
Telephone: MONarch 3030
My Lord Mayor and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit the following report on the work of my Department during the
year 1960.
VITAL STATISTICS
The resident population of the City according to the Registrar General's estimate at midyear
1960 was 4,390.
The birth rate remained at 5.88 per 1,000 resident population and the death rate rose to 9.80
per 1,000 resident population compared with 9.37 per 1,000 in 1959.
32 babies were born, one of which died within four weeks of birth, being born prematurely.
4 births were illegitimate. There were no still-births.
The total number of deaths of all ages was 47; 32 male and 15 female. 14 deaths were due
to cancer, 3 of which were cancer of the lung. 7 deaths were from pneumonia and 1 from
bronchitis. 2 deaths were due to motor accidents. One male City resident aged 56 killed himself
by taking poison in his own home, and one woman aged 47 walked out into the sea off
Eastbourne and drowned herself.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES NOTIFIED
23 notifications of infectious disease were received; namely 6 cases of dysentery (1), 1 of
erysipelas (1), 1 of malaria (0), 6 of measles (21), 1 of ophthalmia neonatorum (0), 7 of pulmonary
tuberculosis (4) and 1 of whooping cough (0).
(The figures in brackets denote the comparable numbers of cases in 1959).
The case of ophthalmia neonatorum was gonococcal and occurred in a male child who was
born in St. Bartholomew's Hospital but whose parents resided outside the City. The notification
of Malaria was in regard to a student from West Africa on a conducted tour of this country, who
was temporarily residing in an hotel in the City. Two days after notification he left the City for
the North of England to be treated under the supervision of the local Medical Officer of Health.
SMALLPOX
Modified smallpox was diagnosed in a Dutch businessman from Singapore, who arrived at
London Airport on 3rd October from Colombo, Ceylon, and was admitted to hospital on the evening
of 5th October.
The patient was found to have a sparse rash, first observed on 5th October, which was
sufficiently advanced to suggest that he was probably in an infectious state at the time of his
arrival in London.
All persons who travelled by the same flight were regarded as having been exposed to risk
of infection.
On the morning of 7th October, a City Medical Practitioner telephoned the City Medical
Officer of Health to the effect that an Indian, who had travelled in the same plane as the smallpox
patient, had lunched at a City Inn and had dined at a Restaurant in the City. Visits were
made by Public Health Inspectors to both these premises at mid-day on Friday, 7th October.
The circumstances were explained to the Managers and although the possibility of the Indian's
having infected any of the staff was extremely remote they were offered opportunities for vaccination,
and as a consequence members of the catering staffs were vaccinated on the same day at
Guildhall.
The appropriate Medical Officers of Health were notified immediately of this Indian's
movements in this country, although he had by then flown back to India.
One or two City firms telephoned for advice in regard to individual members of their staffs
who had been in contact with contacts of the patient, but not with the patient himself. They
were advised that these individuals should be vaccinated but that the possibility of infection was
not sufficient to warrant vaccination of their colleagues.
FOOD POISONING
Incident 1.
On the 2nd February, I960 it was reported that a family consisting of husband, wife and son,
resident in the City, had been ill with diarrhoea. As a result of enquiry it was ascertained that
2