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 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]
This page requires JavaScript
65
Infectious Diseases
PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER
INFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES
Table showing the number of notified cases of infectious diseases and their disposal.
| Disease | Notifications Received | Removed to Hospital |
|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | — | — |
| Diphtheria | — | — |
| Erysipelas | 56 | 2 |
| Scarlet Fever | 141 | 30 |
| Pemphigus Neonatorum | 1 | — |
| Tuberculosis, Pulmonary | 70 | - |
| Tuberculosis, Other forms | 7 | — |
| Pneumonia | 225 | 40 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 3 | 2 |
| Typhoid Fever | — | — |
| Paratyphoid Fever | — | — |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 15 | 13 |
| Meningococcal Infection | 5 | 5 |
| Poliomyelitis, Paralytic | 1 | 1 |
| Poliomyelitis, Non-paralytic | — | — |
| Acute Encephalitis, Infective | 1 | 1 |
| Acute Encephalitis, Post Infectious | — | — |
| Measles | 753 | 29 |
| Whooping Cough | 220 | 12 |
| Dysentery | 104 | 41 |
| Food Poisoning | 48 | 2 |
| 1,650 | 178 |
On consulting the records I find that the number of notifications during the year 1954 is the lowest number since records became available, except for a period during the war years when a large proportion of the population was evacuated to the reception areas.
| Year | Notifications received |
|---|---|
| 1950 | |
| 1951 | 2,973 |
| 1952 | 2,898 |
| 1953 | 2,507 |
| 1954 | 1,630 |
The above figures show the extent of the decrease in last year's notifications
as compared with those of the previous four years.