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
Southall 1941
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]
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Diphtheria.
There were 60 cases of diphtheria notified as compared with 55 in 1940. All the
cases were removed to the Isolation Hospital. There were four deaths from diphtheria of
residents during the year.
Several of the cases were of a severe type.
Diphtheria Prevention.
It was mentioned in the Report for 1935 that the Ministry of Health had approved
a scheme for the immunisation of children against diphtheria.
A general report of the attendances at clinical sessions during the year is shown
in the following table No. 37.
Table No. 37.
| Number of sessions held | 68 |
| Number of new patients | 1,707 |
| Total attendances made | 6,957 |
| Average attendance per session | 102 |
| Highest attendance at a session | 230 |
| Lowest attendance at a session | 16 |
| During 1941 the number of new cases was | 1,707 |
During the year there were no cases of local reaction as a result of an injection
of the antigen.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
There was one case of ophthalmia neonatorum notified in 1941, as is shown in
Table No. 39.
The Council has an arrangement with the London County Council by which
cases of ophthalmia neonatorum are treated at St. Margaret's Hospital, Hampstead,
N.W. In some cases the mothers are admitted with the child in order that breast feeding
may be continued.
Table No. 38.
| Cases notified | 1 |
| Cases treated at home | – |
| Cases treated in hospital | 1 |
| Vision unimpaired | 1 |
| Vision impaired | – |
| Total blindness | – |
| Deaths | – |
Acute Poliomyelitis.
Five cases were notified in the Borough during the year.
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