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 1940
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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has proved invaluable in diagnosis and supervision and may also be considered an
excellent investment financially as it is no longer necessary to incur expenditure in
sending patients to hospital for X-ray investigation.
Military Training and Tuberculosis.
At the request of the Ministry of Health, the Tuberculosis Officer continued to
provide, for the information of medical boards established under the Military Training
Act, 1939, a specialist opinion regarding men called up who were either known to
him as patients or were referred to him because of some doubt as to their respiratory
condition.
Tuberculosis Care Committee.
The Committee, under the chairmanship of Councillor J. Bennett, held
13 meetings in 1940 and dealt with a total of 338 cases.
DISINFECTION.
During the year 737 rooms and 25,007 articles (including 262 books) were
disinfected.
BACTERIOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS.
Table 20 shows tho number of specimens examined for the purposes of diagnosis,
and indicates also the organisms in relation to which the examinations were made.
TABLE 20.
Work of the Bacteriological Laboratory.
| Examination. | Positive. | Negative. | Suspicious. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Throat ancl Nasal swabs (for B. diphtheria: and haomolytie streptococci) | 8 | 143 | - | 151 |
| Sputa (for tubercle bacilli) | 15 | 98 | - | 113 |
| Urine (for typhoid) | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Smears (for gonococcus) | 1 | 3 | - | 4 |
| Smear (for anthrax) | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Swabs (for cerebro-spinal meningitis) | - | 2 | - | 2 |
| Totals | 24 | 248 | - | 272 |
HEALTH PROPAGANDA.
War conditions have brought to the inhabitants of tho Borough a greater
appreciation of the numerous services which the local authority has provided for
their benefit and well-being. Circumstances arising out of the war have also presented
additional opportunities for drawing the attention of the public to the
various health services available. In addition to tho usual channels through which
publicity has been obtained, air-raid shelters have been utilised for the exhibition
of posters dealing with subjects of public health importance, including immunisa
ticn against diphtheria and typhoid fever and vermin repression. By this means
alone, large numbers of people, not easily reached otherwise, have been made aware
of the many facilities which the Public Health Department is anxious to place at
their disposal.