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
Ealing 1918
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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The following table indicates the infectious cases in accordance with the wards in which they occurred:—
| Drayton | Castle-bar | Mount Park | Lammas | Manor | Grange | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 6 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 36 |
| Scarlet Fever | 6 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 18 | 9 | 61 |
| Erysipelas | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
| Enteric Fever | 1 | - | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Puerperal Fever | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | — | - | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| German Measles | 17 | 39 | 28 | 27 | 12 | 20 | 143 |
| Measles | 117 | 191 | 177 | 195 | 218 | 150 | 1048 |
| Poliomyelitis | — | — | — | 1 | — | - | 1 |
| Totals | 153 | 248 | 215 | 252 | 266 | 190 | 1324 |
The following table shows the number of cases of the principal infectious diseases notified in each of the last ten years:
| Disease | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 1913 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Diphtheria | 48 | 55 | 95 | 56 | 57 | 82 | 56 | 37 | 66 | 36 |
| Scarlet Fever | 160 | 148 | 125 | 187 | 326 | 511 | 458 | 146 | 91 | 61 |
| Erysipelas | 35 | 47 | 31 | 31 | 45 | 39 | 39 | 19 | 33 | 24 |
| Enteric Fever | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Puerperal Fever | 4 | — | 3 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 |
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — |
| Poliomyelitis | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | 2 | — | 2 | 1 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | - | - | - | - | - | 9 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 253 | 259 | 258 | 280 | 611 | 763 | 574 | 218 | 199 | 133 |
In this table it will be seen that the number of cases of diphtheria
is lower by one than that for 1916, which was the lowest
for the preceding ten years, and that the number of cases of scar
let fever is lower by 30 than that for 1917, which had the lowest
number of cases for ten years. The total number of the principal
infectious diseases for 1918 is easily the lowest for ten years.
Encephalitis Lethargica.—This disease, which was at first believed
to be " Botulism," a form of food poisioning, but which
was later recognised as a new disease of quite a different nature,
was made notifiable by the Public Health (Acute Encephalitis
Lethargica and Acute Poiio-Encephalitis) Regulations, of the