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
Brentford and Chiswick 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brentford and Chiswick]
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Infectious Diseases.
The total number of cases of infectious diseases notified
during the year 1949 was 652 compared with a figure of 495 total
in 1948. The increase was mainly due to measles notifications
which were high particularly during the months of March and
April. There were fewer cases of scarlet fever, 64 as compared
with 78 in 1948 and four cases of poliomyelitis were confirmed
during the year. There were no deaths from any of the infectious
diseases other than pneumonia and tuberculosis.
TABLE IX.
Laboratory Work.
The following table sets out a record of the bacteriological work during the year 1949.
| Nature of Specimen | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | Negative | Total | |
| Diphtheria—swabs | — | 137 | 137 |
| Tuberculosis—sputa | — | 10 | 10 |
| Scarlet Fever Contacts —swabs | 14 | 37 | 51 |
| Blood, faeces, etc. | — | 2 | 2 |
| TOTALS | 14 | 186 | 200 |
TABLE X. Tuberculosis—1949
| Age Groups | NEW CASES | DEATHS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory | Non-Respiratory | Respiratory | Non-Respiratory | |||||
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| Under 1 year | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - |
| 1—5 years | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | — | — | - | - |
| 5—15 years | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | - | — | - | - |
| 15—25 years | 13 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 25—35 years | 10 | 16 | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| 35—45 years | 12 | 11 | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 45—55 years | 7 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 55—65 years | 5 | 2 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — |
| 65 years and over | 4 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | — | 1 | — |
| TOTALS | 53 | 44 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
Of the 25 recorded deaths, 19 were previously notified as cases
of tuberculosis, 6 had not been so notified.
18