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
Coulsdon and Purley 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Coulsdon]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
In previous reports, when commenting on variations in the incidence
of infectious disease, attention has been drawn to the confusion resulting
from the introduction of the compulsory notification of measles and
whooping cough during the two war periods, and the statistical influence
of cases of infectious disease occurring among the inmates of the two
local mental hospitals. The residents in the latter have but little contact
with the remainder of the District, and it is therefore advisable to exclude
both the above factors when comparing annual returns.
A full statement of the cases of infectious disease notified since 1918
is included in Table III in the Appendix, and it will be found that the
incidence of infectious disease generally during 1947 compared very
favourably with preceding years, particularly when the number of
resultant deaths and amount of permanent injury are correlated.
The following table relates to notifications received during 1947: —
| Disease. | Numbers Notified. | Removed to Hospital. | Total Deaths. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | — | — | — |
| Typhoid fever | 1 | — | — |
| Paratyphoid fever | 1 | — | — |
| Scarlet fever | 78 | 47 | 1 |
| Erysipelas | 5 | 2 | — |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 1 | 1 | — |
| Pneumonia | 20 | — | 34* |
| Dysentery | 43 | — | -— |
| Cerebro-spinal fever | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Poliomyelitis | 11 | 10 | 1 |
| Measles | 218 | 2 | — |
| Whooping cough | 115 | 3 | — |
| Totals | 495 | 67 | 37 |
Comments on the trend of individual diseases are included in the
following sections, but in general it can be stated that, excluding the
two above-mentioned factors which disturb comparison, the number of
cases of acute notifiable infectious disease occurring among the general
population in 1947 was slightly less than 1.9 cases per 1,000 population,
which is one of the lowest rates for infectious disease the District has
experienced.
Diphtheria.
For the first time since the formation of the District a year has
passed without a single notification of a case of diphtheria. One adult
suffering from tonsilitis was admitted to hospital in January as a suspect,
but all findings were negative.
This absence of cases represents a saving of 30 cases and at least
one life compared with the average for the years preceding 1937, when
18