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
Twickenham 1948
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Twickenham]
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Malaria. Three cases of malaria were notified during the year, one of
which was treated in hospital. All cases were contracted abroad.
Dysentery. Three cases of dysentery were notified during the year. All
cases were treated in hospital. There were no deaths.
Acute Poliomyelitis, Acute Polio-encephalitis.
Seven cases of poliomyelitis and one case of polio-encephalitis were notified
during the year, compared with 21 cases during 1947. Six of these cases
were treated in hospital and there were three deaths.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum, 1937-1948.
The following table shows the number of cases notified and result of treatment:—
| Year | Cases notified | Cases Treated | Vision unimpaired | Vision impaired | T otal blindness | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At home | In hosp. | ||||||
| 1937 | 6 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1938 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 12 | — | ||
| 1939 | 7 | 7 | 7 | ||||
| 1940 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | — | ||
| 1941 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | |||
| 1942 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | |||
| 1943 | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||
| 1944 | 8 | 8 | 8 | ||||
| 1945 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | |
| 1946 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | — | |
| 1947 | 5 | 5 | 5 | — | |||
| 1948 | 4 | 4 | 4 | — | |||
Puerperal Pyrexia.
Twelve cases of puerperal pyrexia were notified, as compared with thirteen
for the previous year. All cases were treated in hospital.
Cerebro-spinal Fever.
There was one case of cerebro-spinal fever notified during 1948, a decrease
of one on the previous year. The case was treated in hospital. No deaths
were recorded from this disease.
Measles and Whooping Cough.
During the year 542 cases of measles were notified, as compared with
607 for the previous year. The peak period was the months of May and
June, when 126 and 113 cases were notified. Twenty-eight cases were admitted
to hospital. There was one death, giving a death rate of 0.01 per 1,000 of
population.
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