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
Marylebone 1932
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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47
The fact, commonly accepted, that the number of deaths certified as due to
cancer is showing a definite tendency to increase receives confirmation from these
figures so far as males are concerned. No reason, generally acceptable, to account
for this has as yet been put forward, nor has any theory to account for the
occurrence of the disease, to which the medical profession as a whole can subscribe,
been submitted. One point upon which there is general agreement, however, is
with regard to the importance, advisability and advantage of early treatment. Of
the accuracy of the advice, now so widely given that there should never be any
delay in seeking an authoritative opinion in any case of doubt and in securing
treatment, there can be no question.
Accident, sucide and manuslaughter
Accidental or violent deaths during 1932 numbered 77. Of these 27 were due
to suicide. There were no recorded deaths of babies certified as resulting from
suffocation (overlaying).
PREVALENCE OF AND CONTROL OVER INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
A table showing, with regard to the infections, the total number of notifications
received, the age distribution and the number of cases notified from each of the
four registration districts will be found on page 75.
The following table shows the number of cases of infectious disease notified during the past six years :—
| 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | — | 30 | 3 | 6 | 2 | – |
| Diphtheria | 160 | 177 | 180 | 271 | 154 | 83 |
| Erysipelas | 36 | 67 | 40 | 61 | 55 | 55 |
| Scarlet Fever | 178 | 223 | 237 | 226 | 258 | 192 |
| Enteric Fever | 5 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 3 |
| Paratyphoid Fever | 12 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 |
| Continued Fever | — | 1 | — | — | — | – |
| Puerperal Fever | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 5 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 35 | 32 | 19 | 25 | 22 | 26 |
| Cerebro-spinal Meningitis | 2 | — | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Tuberculosis (Pulmonary) | 155 | 139 | 147 | 141 | 145 | 140 |
| Tuberculosis (Non-Pulmonary) | 35 | 22 | 26 | 20 | 17 | 23 |
| Acute Poliomyelitis | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Polio-Encephalitis | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 12 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 10 | 8 |
| Encephalitis Lethargica | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| Pneumonia | 45 | 44 | 92 | 42 | 80 | 77 |
| Malaria | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 |
| Dysentery | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 |
| Totals | 686 | 775 | 773 | 840 | 772 | 622 |
Diphtheria and Membranous Croup.
There were only 83 cases of diphtheria notified during 1932, 1 death resulting,
as against 154 cases and 4 deaths in 1931.
The number of cases per thousand of the population was 1.1.
The cases were more or less evenly distributed, as usual, throughout the
borough, and only in a few instances was it possible to determine accurately the
source of infection. In 3 cases the source appeared to be a member of the family
previously infected; in 1 case infection was counted to have been acquired in
school, and in 4 cases in an institution.