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 1945
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finchley]
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MATERNAL MORTALITY
Only one mother died in 1945 from maternal causes,
giving a maternal mortality rate of 1 per 1,000 births.
INFECTIOUS DISEASE
The following table shows the number of notifications of the principal infectious diseases received during the past four years
| 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 19 | 9 | 3 | 4 |
| Scarlet Fever | 141 | 194 | 125 | 109 |
| Smallpox | - | - | 3 | - |
| Enteric Fever | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Pneumonia | 42 | 60 | 49 | 38 |
| Measles | 593 | 364 | 83 | 618 |
| Whooping Cough | 116 | 78 | 201 | 57 |
Measles was prevalent but all the other diseases
were below the average. There were 4 cases of diphtheria
and none of them had been immunised. Scarlet Fever continued
to decline and was once more mild in character.
The mortality from infectious disease was remarkably
low, there being only one death which was due to measles.
IMMUNISATION
Eight hundred and sixty-seven children, mostly one
year of age, were immunised during the year. In addition,
731 children were re-immunised. This is done at approximately
4 years after the original treatment in order to
ensure the continuity of immunity.