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 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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During the hot weather in September many requests were received from butchers in the Borough
to examine beef delivered to them under the Ministry of Food scheme. On examination a large
amount was found to be decomposed and unfit for food. The quantity involved was 3,159 lbs. (homekilled,
2,062 lbs. ; Danish, 1,097 lbs). The home-killed beef came from Irish cattle slaughterhouses
in Liverpool and was sent by lorry to London ; the Danish beef was slaughtered in Denmark and
conveyed by ordinary cargo ship.
Large consignments of canned foods from Army dumps were sent to the premises of a food
distributing firm in the Borough for examination and sorting. Out of one delivery of 1,000 cases,
544 cases (containing 12,727 cans of various fruits equal in weight to 26,815 lbs.) were found to be
unfit for human consumption.
Horseflesh.—Forty-one visits were paid to two shops selling horseflesh for human food. There are
no shops selling horseflesh other than for human consumption.
Slaughter of Animals.—The only licensed slaughterhouse in the Borough is that at the Zoological
Society's premises in Regent's Park. The slaughtering done in normal times is for the food for the
animals in the gardens and humane killers are used. Six inspections were made. One licence to
slaughter or stun animals, granted to skilled slaughtermen, was renewed.
SECTION F.—PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES.
Infectious diseases notifiable in St. Marylebone are listed in Table 6, which gives also information
regarding notifications (civilians) received during 1947.
TABLE 6.—Infectious Disease Notifications.
| ♦Notifiable Disease | Cases notified in whole Borough | Cases removed to hospital | Cases isolated at home | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At all ages | At ages—years | ||||||||||||||
| —1 | 1 — | 2— | 3— | 4— | 5— | 10— | 15- | 20—. | 35— | 45— | 65— | ||||
| Diphtheria, including membranous croup | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 4 | - |
| Erysipelas | 11 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | - | 6 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Scarlet fever | 49 | - | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 18 | 31 |
| Puerperal fever | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 1 | - | - | 6 | 1 |
| Cerebro-spinal fever | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 2 | - |
| Acute poliomyelitis | 15 | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 5 | - | 8 | - | - | - | 13 | 2 |
| Encephalitis lethargica | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| Polio-encephalitis | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 |
| Pneumonia | 43 | - | 2 | - | - | 2 | 3 | - | 1 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 7 | 18 | 25 |
| Dysentery | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Measles | 330 | 12 | 35 | 54 | 41 | 42 | 102 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 37 | 293 |
| Whooping cough | 71 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 23 | 48 |
| Scabies | 62 | 5 | 1 | - | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 20 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 60 |
| Malaria Tuberculosis— | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | |
| Pulmonary | 94 | - | 2 | - | 1 | - | 1 | 3 | 8 | 35 | 10 | 27 | 7 | 36 | 58 |
| Non-pulmonarv | 10 | - | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 5 | 5 |
| Totals | 709 | 33 | 61 | 71 | 57 | 59 | 148 | 42 | 26 | 97 | 32 | 59 | 24 | 172 | 537 |
* There were no cases of the following diseases, which are also notifiable in the Borough: Smallpox,
cholera, typhus fever, enteric fever, paratyphoid fever, relapsing fever, continued fever, plague,
glanders, farcy, anthrax, induced malaria.
Acute Poliomyelitis.—Public attention was focussed on the prevalence of this disease in various parts
of the country, including London, during the height of the summer, and at an urgently convened
meeting of metropolitan medical officers of health with medical officers of the Ministry of Health and the
London County Council held on the 1st August, 1947, general precautionary measures of control
were discussed and forthwith put into, operation. In St. Marylebone the local medical practitioners
were supplied with the latest information on poliomyelitis known to medical science, and many took
advantage of a special invitation to see the film on " Infantile Paralysis," prepared for doctors, nurses