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 1943
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]
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Diphtheria and tetanus antitoxin can always be obtained at the Health Department
during office hours or at the Isolation Hospital at other times.
Following Ministry of Health Circular 2734, the Southall Borough Council resolved
that insulin should be supplied to cases not covered by other schemes, patients' income to
be assessed and insulin provided free or at part cost. Under this scheme, six cases were
dealt with during 1943.
Vaccination.
The total number of successful vaccination certificates received during the year
was 316, and the number of certificates of exemption issued was 179.
Table XXII in Appendix gives details of the percentage of children successfully
vaccinated during the last seven years.
It will be noted that the proportion of vaccinated infants to unvaccinated infants is
very low, i.e., 38 per cent. vaccinated, to 62 per cent. unvaccinated. In view of the risk of
smallpox infection being brought to this country, which can happen much more readily
with large numbers of troops going abroad and coming home again, it seems as if some
propaganda for vaccination is required.
Disinfection.
In cases of infectious disease, rooms, clothing, etc., are disinfected—rooms by
sealing and fumigating with formalin or a formalin preparation ; clothing, bedding, etc.,
and infected articles which can be removed for steam disinfection, by treatment in the
disinfector at the hospital.
Table I.
| List of premises, articles, etc., disinfected during the year:— | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms | 289 | Covers | 228 |
| Beds | 425 | Eiderdowns | 96 |
| Blankets | 855 | Pillows | 695 |
| Bolsters | 197 | Sheets | 504 |
| Books | 214 | Miscellaneous | 227 |
| Scabies clinic: Bags of clothing | 311 | Total | 4,041 |
The following articles were destroyed: 12 mattresses, 3 sheets, 1 bolster and
7 pillows.
Cancer.
It will be seen by the table of causes of death (page 24) that in 1943, 97 cases (51
males and 46 females) died from cancer. (See Appendix, Tables XXIII and XXIV.)
The increase in the cancer mortality follows an increase in 1942, and mention has
already been made in the paragraph on Deaths and Death Rate.
Special Infectious Diseases.
Smallpox (Variola).
No patients with smallpox or contacts of cases of smallpox were notified to the
Department during the year. No work was done under the Public Health (Smallpox
prevention) Regulation, 1917.
Scarlet Fever (Scarlatina).
The number of notifications received during the year was 269 as compared with
100 for the previous year.
Of these, 255 were removed to the Isolation Hospital.
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