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
Finchley 1943
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finchley]
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INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The following table shows the number of notifications of the principal infectious diseases received during the past three years:-
| 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 38 | 19 | 9 |
| Scarlet Fever | 51 | 141 | 194 |
| Enteric Fever | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | 8 | 4 | 3 |
| Pneumonia | 51 | 42 | 60 |
| Measles | 647 | 593 | 364 |
| Whooping Cough | 376 | 116 | 78 |
Scarlet Fever continued to increase in prevalence but,
fortunately, it remained mild in character and there were no deaths.
There was a rise in the number of cases of pneumonia, largely
\
due to the influenza epidemic. The notification of pneumonia is
still very incomplete as is shown by the fact that there were 77
deaths and only 60 notifications.
Measles and whooping cough were less common than in the two
previous years; there were 2 deaths from the former and 1 from the
latter, all of children under 1 year of age.
There were only 9 cases of diphtheria and no deaths.
Immunisation was carried on at a satisfactory rate during the year
and 1292 children were treated.
TUBERCULOSIS.
There was a distinct drop in the number of deaths from
tuberculosis of the lungs but an increase in deaths from other
forms of tuberculosis. There was little change in the number
of notifications of new cases.
The following table shows the numbers of notifications and
deaths for the past 5 years:–