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
Harrow 1943
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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again five found no infestation. The general average was 4 per cent. the
nil returns or light infestations being off-set by those districts where
percentages were 20, 13, and 11. The incidence rose with the increasing
age of the child from a percentage of 2 amongst babies of under one year
to that of 7 amongst children of 4 years of age.
The Ministry of Health Circular 2831 contained recommendations
aimed at the eradication of head lice. Amongst these was one that
health visitors should pay special attention to this subject and include
examination of children's heads, though not the cleansing, as part of their
work, both in the houses and at the clinics; also that suitable combs be
provided for sale or on loan at the clinics; and reference was made to the
efficacy of the preparations containing lethane. These particular recommendations
had been in operation in this district since consideration
had been given to the previous circular in March 1941.
TUBERCULOSIS.
Notifications.
| New Cases | Deaths | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Notification | Brought to notice other than by Form A | Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | |||||||||
| Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | Pulmonary | Non-Pulmonary | |||||||||
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | |
| Under 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 1-4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 |
| 5-9 | 2 | 3 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 10-14 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 15-19 | 11 | 19 | 3 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 20-24 | 20 | 25 | 1 | 4 | — | — | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 25-34 | 31 | 46 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 9 | — | 1 |
| 35-44 | 37 | 13 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 3 | — | — |
| 45-54 | 23 | 8 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | — | — |
| 55-64 | 7 | — | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | 6 | 5 | — | — |
| 65 & up | 2 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Total | 140 | 122 | 29 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 55 | 28 | 8 | 9 |
Notifications of tuberculous cases differ in one important respect
from those relating to most of the other notifiable diseases, because
whereas in the case of most diseases the notification is received within a
short period of the onset of infection, in tuberculosis this may not be so.
For this reason, then, whereas the origin of most infections lies in some
influence exerted on the patient about the time of receipt of notification,
in tuberculous patients the onset of recognised illness may be some years
after, while the causative factors leading to that onset may be still more
remote. It follows then that a patient notified might owe his illness to
factors not related to his place of work, his environment or conditions of
living at that date. When a person moves from one sanitary district to
another, particulars of his notification are required by the Tuberculosis