London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Leyton 1953
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]
This page requires JavaScript
37
SMALLPOX.
No case of smallpox was notified during 1953.
For some eighty years vaccination against smallpox was
compulsory. As the law enforcing vaccination became progressively
less stringent the number of exemptions increased
progressively until 5th July, 1948 when the Vaccination Acts
were repealed and vaccination became no longer compulsory.
Although 1,301 children were born in Leyton in 1953, only
362 infants under one year (i.e., 27.82%) were vaccinated against
smallpox.
Of 4,038 children inspected in school, only 1,556 (i.e., 38.53%)
were found to be protected by vaccination.
TYPHOID FEVER.
No notifications were received.
WHOOPING COUGH.
| Year | No. Notified | Removed to Hospital | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | 198 | 24 | 4 |
| 1945 | 99 | 16 | 2 |
| 1946 | 155 | 27 | 2 |
| 1947 | 178 | 11 | 3 |
| 1948 | 623 | 29 | 3 |
| 1949 | 316 | 18 | |
| 1950 | 769 | 19 | |
| 1951 | 593 | 12 | |
| 1952 | 244 | 8 | 2 |
| 1953 | 565 | 8 |
Of the 565 children who developed whooping cough during
the year, eight had to be removed to hospital.
Further information regarding Protection against Whooping
Cough will be found on page 134.
TUBERCULOSIS.
Notifications.—Ninety-one patients were notified for the first
time in 1953 as suffering from tuberculosis. The number was made
up as follows :—
Males Females Total
Pulmonary Tuberculosis 43 35 78
Non-Pulmonary Tuberculosis 5 8 13
48 43 91