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
Hendon 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hendon]
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TABLE VI.
| Year. | No. of Cases of Diphtheria notified. | No. of Deaths from Diphtheria. | Accumulated total of immunised children. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 138 | 9 | 27 |
| 1936 | 86 | 2 | 130 |
| 1937 | 121 | 7 | 381 |
| 1938 | 195 | 4 | 725 |
| 1939 | 150 | 3 | 1124 |
| 1940 | 70 | 3 | 1729 |
| 1941 | 58 | 1 | 5868 |
| 1942 | 38 | 2 | 11068 |
| 1943 | 31 | 2 | 15506 |
| 1944 | 17 | — | 16970 |
| 1945 | 20 | 1 | 19555 |
| 1946 | 33* | — | 21478 |
| 1947 | 10* | — | 23890 |
| 1948 | 8 | 1 | 26346 |
| 1949 | 10* | — | 28376 |
| 1950 | — | — | 30091 |
*of these the diagnosis was confirmed in
8 cases in 1946, 8 cases in 1917, and 4 cases in 1949.
Smallpox:
The threat of serious outbreaks of this disease is increasing
because of the now largely unvaccinated state of the
population and also because air transport permits a journey
to be made from almost any part of the World in a time which
is within the incubation period of the disease.
On two separate occasions contacts arriving in the Country
were kept under observation. Only one case, however,
which aroused any suspicion was seen by me in consulation.
The patient was a ship steward who had recently returned
from a cruise in the Mediterranean and who had been ashore
at ports where Smallpox was prevalent. An attempted vaccination
five weeks previously had been unsuccessful. The
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