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 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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64
SECTION F.—PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL
OVER, INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES.
Under this section of the report the Minister of Health requires information
with regard to the prevalence of notifiable infectious diseases during the year, with
any noteworthy facts of the source or spread of infection.
The various diseases are each dealt with and commented upon under their
respective headings and notes are also included with regard to immunisation and
preventive treatment.
Table 35 gives a list of diseases which were notifiable in St. Marylebone during the year under review.
TABLE 35
List of Notifiable Diseases.
| Smallpox | Acute Poliomyelitis |
| Cholera | Acute Encephalitis Lethargica |
| Diphtheria | Polio-Encephalitis |
| Membranous Croup | Ophthalmia Neonatorum |
| Erysipelas | Tuberculosis |
| Scarlatina or Scarlet Fever | Malaria * |
| Typhus Fever | Induced Malaria |
| Typhoid Fever | Dysentery * |
| Paratyphoid Fever | Acute Primary Pneumonia |
| Enteric Fever | Acute Influenzal Pneumonia |
| Relapsing Fever | Plague |
| Continued Fever | Glanders |
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | Anthrax |
| Puerperal Fever | Farcy |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | Food Poisoning |
| * A Medical Practitioner is not required to notify cases of Malaria, or Dysentery, if the case has already, to his knowledge, been notified within the period of 6 months immediately preceding the date on which he first became aware of it. | |
Table 36 show3 the number of cases of infectious disease notified during the past six years
TABLE 36.
Infectious Disease Notifications.
| 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | - | — | — | — | - | - |
| Diphtheria | 83 | 78 | 104 | 119 | 121 | 108 |
| Erysipelas | 55 | 76 | 59 | 35 | 28 | 47 |
| Scarlet Fever | 192 | 198 | 212 | 155 | 141 | 121 |
| Enteric Fever | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Paratyphoid Fever | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Continued Fever | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Puerperal Fever | 5 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 4 | 13 |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 26 | 17 | 18 | 36 | 28 | 34 |
| Cerebro-spinal Meningitis | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Tuberoulosis (Pulmonary) | 140 | 148 | 132 | 93 | 107 | 117 |
| Tuberculosis (Non-Pulmonary) | 23 | 16 | 25 | 19 | 23 | 17 |
| Acute Poliomyelitis | 1 | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Polio-Encephalitis | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 8 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 10 |
| Encephalitis Lethargica | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Pneumonia | 77 | 74 | 70 | 33 | 66 | 61 |
| Malaria | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| Dysentery | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Totals | 622 | 633 | 639 | 525 | 538 | 549 |
Table 37 shows, with regard to the infections, the total number of notifications
received, the age distribution, the number of cases notified from each of the four
registration districts, and the total deaths during 1937.