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
Kingston upon Thames 1952
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kingston-upon-Thames]
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The following table gives a comparative statement of notifications of certain infectious diseases received during the last thirty years
TABLE VI
| Year | Scarlet Fever | Puerperal Pyrexia | Measles | Whooping Cough | Acute Infective Encephalitis | Poliomyelitis | Enteric Fever(including Para-typhoid) | Diphtheria | Ophthalmia Neonatorum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | 118 | 2 | Not notifiable until 1940 | Not notifiable until 1940 | - | - | 1 | 17 | 5 |
| 1924 | 143 | — | - | 1 | 6 | 20 | 4 | ||
| 1925 | 213 | 4 | — | 3 | 7 | 25 | 5 | ||
| 1926 | 82 | 4 | — | 2 | 7 | 27 | 2 | ||
| 1927 | 87 | 9 | _ | 1 | 65 | 3 | |||
| 1928 | 135 | 9 | — | 1 | 7 | 152 | 4 | ||
| 1929 | 74 | 5 | — | — | 1 | 113 | 3 | ||
| 1930 | 78 | 9 | - | — | 100 | 2 | |||
| 1931 | 61 | 14 | _ | — | 1 | 53 | 4 | ||
| 1932 | 56 | 13 | - | 2 | 1 | 47 | - | ||
| 1933 | 125 | 10 | - | 3 | 2 | 30 | 2 | ||
| 1934 | 40 | 5 | - | - | 2 | 42 | 3 | ||
| 1935 | 54 | 8 | — | — | 2 | 50 | 3 | ||
| 1936 | 67 | 19 | — | — | 6 | 27 | 2 | ||
| 1937 | 51 | 32 | — | 2 | 1 | 21 | 3 | ||
| 1938 1939 | 61 | 47 | - | 2 | 1 | 72 | 2 | ||
| 69 | 66 | - | - | — | 1 | 1 | 19 | 3 | |
| 1940 | 45 | 63 | 373 | 22 | — | — | 3 | 53 | 3 |
| 1941 | 54 | 37 | 331 | 271 | - | 1 | 7 | 15 | - |
| 1942 | 79 | 24 | 375 | 99 | _ | — | - | 8 | 3 |
| 1943 | 110 | 18 | 287 | 151 | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | - |
| 1944 | 49 | 15 | 33 | 73 | — | 1 | — | 7 | 2 |
| 1945 | 28 | 23 | 407 | 84 | — | 1 | — | 16 | 2 |
| 1946 | 34 | 41 | 283 | 67 | - | 2 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 1947 | 24 | 28 | 219 | 38 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 1948 | 34 | 30 | 197 | 200 | - | 3 | - | - | - |
| 1949 | 73 | 29 | 483 | 81 | 3 | 7 | - | - | - |
| 1950 | 51 | 23 | 132 | 41 | - | 4 | — | — | — |
| 1951 | 37 | 41 | 443 | 222 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 1952 | 29 | 84 | 280 | 102 | - | 3 | — | - | — |
Scarlet Fever.
Twenty nine cases of mild scarlet fever were notified,
twenty two of which were of school age. No deaths occurred
and no "return" cases. Only five of the cases notified
were removed to an infectious diseases hospital for treatment
and the remainder were treated at home.
It is interesting to note the great drop in the proportion
of cases of scarlet fever which now have to be sent
to hospital. In 1952 17% of cases went to hospital as compared
with 55% in 1951; 65% in 1950; and 73% in 1949.