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REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH
FOR THE CITY OF LONDON FOR THE YEAR 1961.
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
1961. An Index is appended to this Report.
VITAL STATISTICS
The resident population of the City according to the Registrar General's estimate at mid-year
1961 was 4,600.
The birth rate fell to 5.80 per 1,000 resident population and the death rate rose to 10.01 per
1,000 resident population compared with 5.88 and 9.80 respectively in 1960.
29 babies were born alive , one of which died within four weeks of birth , being born prematurely.
7 births were illegitimate. There was one still-birth.
The total number of deaths of all ages was 56; 41 male and 15 female. 11 deaths were due
to cancer, 3 of which were cancer of the lung. 7 deaths were from pneumonia and 2 from bronchitis.
One death was due to a motor accident, one to falling in front of a train and one elderly man was
found drowned in the River Lea. One woman, who died from a sudden heart attack had already
celebrated her 100th birthday.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES NOTIFIED
39 notifications of infectious disease were received ; namely 1 of acute primary pneumonia (0),
*1 diphtheria (0), 2 of dysentery (6), 2 of erysipelas (1), 23 of measles (6), 1 of poliomyelitis (paralytic)
(0), 2 of scarlet fever (0), 5 of tuberculosis (pulmonary) (7), 2 of whooping cough (1).
(The figures in brackets denote the comparable numbers of cases in 1960)
*This case was re-diagnosed as acute tonsillitis.
The paralytic poliomyelitis case was the Vicar of one of the City Churches. He made a full
recovery.
FOOD POISONING
A number of the staff of an Insurance Company, arriving at work on Friday, 6th October,
reported that they had been taken ill during the previous night. The Company notified the Deputy
Medical Officer of Health and extensive enquiries were made regarding this illness.
It was found that ninety-two members of the staff had been taken ill with diarrhoea and
abdominal pain, but only three of them claimed to have vomited. The onset of the symptoms
occurred approximately 14.22 hours after the meal was eaten and most of those affected recovered
within the next 24 hours. This short but rather sharp attack of abdominal pain and diarrhoea,
together with the marked absence of vomiting is typical of a food poisoning due to a heat resistant
strain of Clostridium Welchii.
Minced chicken and ham, and fried egg were the items on the extensive menu taken in common
by these people, and a total number of 400 portions were served. Some remnants of the
minced chicken were submitted to the City Bacteriologist for examination and a few people also
volunteered to submit faecal specimens for this purpose. The Bacteriologist isolated heat resistant
strains of Clostridium Welchi: from the faecal specimens but he was unsuccessful with the
remains of the minced chicken. Nevertheless, I am confident that this particular meal was the
source of the trouble and that the toxins of this strain of Clostridium Welchii were the cause of the
illness.
The preparation of a meal of this type inevitably means handling the food greatly in excess of
normal and while no obvious errors or lapses in technique have come to light the minced chicken
must be viewed with suspicion.
The Deputy Medical Officer visited the kitchen where the meals were prepared. It is comparatively
new and they have adequate facilities to handle and store food in a proper manner.
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