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
Barnes 1944
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barnes]
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Deaths.
(i) Diphtheria—faucial and laryngeal—aged 17 months—died on the day
of admission.
(ii) Pneumococcal Meningitis—aged two years—died on the day following
admission.
Cross Infection.
A nurse attached to a scarlet fever ward developed rubella, which
resulted in five secondary cases of rubella occurring among the scarlet fever
patients. All made uneventful recoveries.
Complications.
(1) Diphtheria. (3) Whooping Cough.
Squint, 7. Broncho-pneumonia, 1.
Peripheral neuritis, 1. (4) Influenzal Pneumonia.
Myocarditis, 4 Furunculosis, 1.
secondary tonsillitis, 1.
Serum reaction, 2. (5) Scarlet Fever
Otorrhoea, 4.
(2) Measles. Mastoiditis, 2.
Broncho-pneumonia, 3. Secondary tonsillitis, 1.
Table 33.-Laboratory Facilities
| Specimens examined during the year were as follows:- | |
| Sputa for detection of tubercle bacilli | 41 |
| Swabs „ ,, „ diphtheria bacilli | 364 |
| Fasces for pathogenic organisms | 3 |
| Urine „ „ „ | 2 |
| Cerebro-spinal fluid | 4 |
| Blood (Widal) | 1 |
| „ (Blood-count) | 4 |
| ,, (for pathogenic organisms) | 3 |
| Pleural fluid | 1 |
| Total | 423 |
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Table 34.—Home-Visiting.
| A summary of the work performed by the three Health Visitors | |
| during the year is given below:— | |
| Visits to expectant mothers | 473 |
| First visits to newly-born infants | 574 |
| Revisits to infants under 1 year | 2,825 |
| Visits to children aged 1 to 5 years | 3,572 |
| Still-birth inquiries | 23 |
| Special visits to cases of measles | 85 |
| ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, whooping cough | 95 |
| ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, pneumonia | 14 |
| Visits to foster children Visits in connection with infectious diseases other | 30 |
| than those above specified | 368 |
| Total visits | 8,057 |