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
Heston and Isleworth 1938
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth]
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Incidence of Notifiable Disease.
The number of cases of notifiable disease notified during the last five years are shown in the following table :—
| 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | — | — | — | — | — |
| Scarlet Fever | 386 | 213 | 224 | 242 | 314 |
| Diphtheria | 99 | 72 | 21 | 18 | 40 |
| Erysipelas | 82 | 25 | 51 | 45 | 43 |
| Pneumonia | 205 | 116 | 70 | 124 | 159 |
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 |
| Epidemic Encephalitis | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1 |
| Poliomyelitis and Polioencephalitis | 2 | — | 9 | 3 | 3 |
| Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fevers | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Dysentery | — | — | — | 53 | 2 |
| Tuberculosis | 113 | 129 | 112 | 102 | 113 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 15 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 10 |
| Puerperal Fever and Pyrexia | 64 | 56 | 78 | 83 | 66 |
More detailed analyses of the notifications for 1938 are given in tables at the end of the
report.
Scarlet Fever.
During 1938, 314 cases of Scarlet Fever were notified. Where satisfactory treatment and
isolation can be obtained at home the patient need not be admitted to hospital. The percentage
of cases removed to hospital during 1938 was 85.0. The type of disease continues to be mild and
caused no deaths during 1938.
During 1938 there was an increase of 22 in the number of notifications of diphtheria as compared with 1937 and during the year there were two deaths from diphtheria. The position is not so satisfactory as in 1937 but still compares favourably with other parts of the country as shown below :—
| Rate per 1,000 Population. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases. | Deaths. | |||
| 1937 | 1938 | 1937 | 1938 | |
| England and Wales | 1.49 | 1.58 | 0.07 | 0.07 |
| 126 County Boroughs and Great Towns including London | 1.81 | 1.85 | 0.08 | 0.07 |
| 148 Smaller Towns | 1.38 | 1.53 | 0.05 | 0.06 |
| London Administrative County | 1.93 | 1.90 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
| Heston and Isleworth | 0.18 | 0.39 | 0.01 | 0.02 |
In addition to the 40 notified cases there were 8 cases in whom the diagnosis of diphtheria
was not confirmed clinically though diphtheria bacilli had been found in throat swabs. The
age of the cases who died were 1 year and 9 years respectively and both were admitted to
hospital. Early diagnosis is essential if treatment is to be effective. To obtain this parents
must seek medical advice at once for all throat conditions in children, and doctors must exercise
clinical judgment. A throat swab can only tell whether or not diphtheria bacilli are present;
the diagnosis of diphtheria is made by a careful clinical examination.
The diphtheria immunisation clinic continued throughout the year and each week two
sessions were held at Hounslow and one at Isleworth. During the year 1124 children completed
or received the full course of immunisation and the total number of attendances was 6,247.
Recently there has been a reduction in the applications for immunisation. This is to be regretted
and parents must not be lulled into a sense of security by the comparative freedom from diphtheria
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