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 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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persons were vaccinated against smallpox for the first time. Of these
1,499 were under one year of age and 101 were over one but under two
years of age. 665 persons were re-vaccinated. 2,755 babies were born
in that year. The number of vaccinations of those under one year of
age was, therefore 54 per cent. of the births. Of those under one year
of age who were vaccinated 623 were treated at the infant welfare centres.
A boat on which there had been a person suffering from smallpox
arrived at London on the 21st February. Of those on board six came to
addresses in this district. They had all taken advantage of the offer
to be vaccinated, and none of them had succumbed to any illness by the
end of the incubation period of the disease from the time that they were
last possible contacts of the patients. On another occasion a resident
returned home from a stay in a part of France in which smallpox was
prevalent.
MALARIA
Although at one time endemic in large areas in this country today
malaria is endemic only in limited localities. Most of the cases notified
are those who are suffering from a relapse of an infection acquired a road
The one case notified this year was such an instance.
ENTERIC FEVER
Each year small numbers of notifications of cases of enteric infection
amongst those living in this district are received. Very rarely the disease
is typhoid fever; the vast majority of the cases are of paratyphoid fever,
the organism nearly always being the para B type.
The following are particulars of those of the district who were notified during the year to be suffering from enteric fever:—
| Sex | Age | Onset | T/P.T. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M | 3 | 26/2 | Paratyphoid B |
| 2 | F | 3 | 7/3 | Paratyphoid B |
| 3 | F | 18 | 18/6 | Paratyphoid B Contracted out of district |
| 4 | F | 22 | 20/6 | Typhoid |
| 5 | F | 7 | 15/6 | Paratyphoid B |
| 6 | M | 33 | 8/9 | Typhoid Contracted in Spain |
| 7 | M | 7 | 23/9 | Paratyphoid |
| 8 | M | 13 | 28/11 | Paratyphoid |
No cases were associated with any of the others. In most, the origin
of the infection was not traced.
DYSENTERY
The clinical diagnosis of this complaint is made on a combination
of signs and symptoms of diarrhoea, fever, tenesmus and in some cases
blood and mucus in the stools. It may be the result of infection by one
of a variety of organisms, some of which set up a serious illness, others
only a mild one. The vast majority of cases classed as dysentery which
occur in this country are,the result of an infection by the sonne organism
which results in a mild illness only. The main difficulty in the control
of this infection is this mildness of illness in so many because some
sufferers are not inconvenienced and take no special precautions although