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 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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conclusions reached. Broadly, these were that, although synthetic detergents offered to the public
vary in their value and efficiency, the use of the better types could be confidently recommended.
Amongst other activities, instructional visits were made to factories where foods and drink arc
manufactured on a large scale. Advantage continued to be taken of the arrangement whereby members
of the Association are offered exceptionally favourable terms for insurance against food poisoning
risks and other classes of business.
SECTION F.—PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, INFECTIOUS
AND OTHER DISEASES.
Infectious and other diseases notifiable in St. Marylebone are listed in Table 11, which gives also
information regarding notifications received during 1952. Enquiries relating to cases of infectious
disease were carried out by one of the women sanitary inspectors who paid 1,080 visits in this
connection during the year.
TABLE 11.—Notifiable Diseases and 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— | ||||
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 |
| Erysipelas | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Scarlet fever | 64 | — | 2 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 36 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | 39 |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 34 | 3 | — | — | 33 | 3 | |
| Poliomyelitis— | |||||||||||||||
| Paralytic | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | 4 | — |
| Non-paralytic | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 |
| Pneumonia | 18 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
| Dysentery | 37 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 19 | 18 |
| Measles | 445 | 9 | 35 | 50 | 47 | 70 | 218 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 1 | — | — | 29 | 416 |
| Whooping cough | 112 | 15 | 20 | 22 | 9 | 12 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 31 | 81 |
| Scabies | 13 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 13 |
| Meningococcal infection | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Acute encephalitis (infective) | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| tuberculosis— | |||||||||||||||
| Pulmonary | 78 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 28 | 14 | 22 | 6 | 35 | 43 | |
| Non-pulmonary | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | — | 1 | 8 | — |
| Food poisoning | 16 | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | — | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 8 | |
| Totals | 846 | 30 | 58 | 83 | 64 | 94 | 292 | 14 | 11 | 99 | 35 | 35 | 31 | 204 | 642 |
* There were no cases of the following diseases, which are also notifiable in the Borough : Smallpox,
diphtheria, membranous croup, cholera, typhus fever, relapsing fever, continued fever, plague, leprosy,
hydrophobia, glanders, farcy, anthrax, induced malaria, malaria, acute encephalitis (post-infectious),
enteric fever, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever.
Public Health (Aircraft) Regulations, 1952.—These Regulations,- which came into force on the
1st October, 1952, replace earlier Regulations made by the Minister of Health providing for the sanitary
control of aircraft arriving at or leaving aerodromes or other places in England or Wales. In the event
of an emergency landing taking place in the Borough, the Medical Officer of Health would be called
upon to take such steps as might be appropriate to prevent any possible spread of infection.
International Certificates of Vaccination and Inoculation.—At the request of the Ministry of Health,
arrangements were continued for the authentication by the Medical Officer of Health of certificates
of vaccination and inoculation issued by medical practitioners in St. Marylebone in respect of persons
proceeding abroad. During 1952, 2,841 applications were dealt with.
Diphtheria Immunisation.—In a recent report of the Ministry of Health it is stated that 31 persons
in England and Wales died from diphtheria in 1952 : in 1940 the number of deaths from the disease
was 2,480, and in 1901 nearly 10,000. From being one of the most serious causes of death of children
in this country, diphtheria has, it is pointed out, now fallen to a position of numerical insignificance.
Of the total reduction in the mortality from diphtheria during the past century by far the greatest
part has taken place in the last 10 years—the period of large scale immunisation : and during these
10 years there has been a sudden and enormous reduction in the incidence of notified cases as well as
of deaths.