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 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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Unsound Food.—Some 30 tons of food condemned as unfit for human consumption included the
following : meat, 2 tons, 5 cwts. 22 lbs.; fish, 3 tons, 1 cwt. 23 lbs.; fruit, 1 ton, 14 cwts. 3 qtrs.
24 lbs. ; vegetables, 1 ton, 14 cwts. 1 qtr. 24 lbs.; cereals, 4 tons, 3 cwts. 3 qtrs. 7 lbs. ; canned goods,
20,962 tins ; miscellaneous, 5 tons, 10 cwts. 3 qtrs. 7 lbs. Practically all this unsound food was salvaged
and diverted to other uses.
Horseflesh.—Fifty 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. Ten 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 1948.
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 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 7 | — |
| Erysipelas | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 11 |
| Scarlet fever | 35 | — | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 15 | 20 |
| † Puerperal fever | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | _ |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | — | — | — | 7 | 1 |
| Acute poliomyelitis | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 6 | — |
| Polio-encephalitis | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Paratyphoid fever | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Pneumonia | 48 | 4 | 1 | 4 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 6 | 8 | 14 | 9 | 32 | 16 |
| Dysentery | 13 | — | 1 | 3 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 3 | |
| Measles | 354 | 22 | 58 | 38 | 48 | 48 | 105 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 4 | 1 | — | 44 | 310 |
| Whooping cough | 128 | 15 | 22 | 21 | 24 | 16 | 29 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 110 | |
| Scabies | 30 | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 2 | — | 30 |
| Malaria | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Tuberculosis— | |||||||||||||||
| Pulmonary | 74 | —— | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 6 | 27 | 18 | 17 | 3 | 28 | 46 |
| Non-pulmonary | 7 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 4 | — | — | — | 7 | — |
| Totals . | 732 | 42 | 86 | 73 | 81 | 72 | 148 | 22 | 18 | 76 | 39 | 48 | 27 | 183 | 549 |
‡ There were no cases of the following diseases, which are also notifiable in the Borough: Smallpox,
cholera, typhus fever, enteric fever, relapsing fever, continued fever, plague, glanders, farcy,
anthrax, induced malaria, encephalitis lethargica, ophthalmia neonatorum, cerebro-spinal fever.
† Under section 50 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1948, which came into
force on the 30th July, 1948, puerperal fever ceased to be a notifiable and dangerous infectious
disease for the purposes of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936. Puerperal pyrexia continues
to be notifiable.
Psittacosis (Parrot Disease).—Though not a notifiable infectious disease, a case of psittacosis, a
comparatively rare condition believed to be communicable by parrots, presented some interesting
features despite the fact that the investigation into the source of the disease proved inconclusive.
The patient (a male, aged 34 years) was removed to hospital suspected to be suffering from cerebrospinal
meningitis, but three weeks later his condition was diagnosed as acute psittacosis. From
enquiries made it was ascertained that the patient was a keen bird fancier, and that prior to his illness
he had attempted to cure a stray pigeon with a broken wing, but being unsuccessful had had to destroy
the bird. About the same time he had visited Club Row, the East End market where parrots and other
birds are offered for sale. Further investigation revealed that the patient had spent a fortnight's
holiday at Ramsgate during which he went to a fun fair where tropical birds were exhibited. The
medical officers of health of the various districts visited by the patient were advised of the circumstances