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
Tottenham 1951
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]
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10
mally high, and 10 below the 1949 figure. 115 of these cases
were treated in hospital, the remainder being nursed at home.; The
disease continued to be of a mild character and again no death
from the disease was recorded.
The following are the amended diagnoses of certain cases
originally notified as scarlet fever:- Abrasions of Face, 1;
Bronchitis and Dermatitis, 1; Coryza, 1; Dentition Rash, 1;
Dyspepsia, 1; Measles, 2; Meningococcosis, 1; No obvious
Disease, 3; Pyrexia of Unknown Origin, 1; Rubella, 3; Tonsillitis,
8; Urticaria, 1.;
Details of the cases treated in hospital are as follows:-
| Hospital | Diagnosis Correct and Cases Treated to a Conclusion. | Diagnosis Incorrect | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Cases | Average stay in Hospital (days) | Number of Cases | Average stay in Hospital (days) | |
| St. Ann's General | 97 | 16.3 | ||
| Other Hospitals | 18 | 29.1 | 1 | 16.0 |
Diphtheria
During 1951, for the first year since records have been kept,
there was not a single confirmed case of Diphtheria, and it is
over six years since the last death occurred from this disease.
15 diphtheria notifications were received during the year,
but in each case the diagnosis was corrected by the hospital
authorities. The amended diagnoses were as follows:-
Glandular Fever, 2; Leukaemia, 1. Measles, 1; Pharyngitis,
1; Rhinitis, 1; Tonsillitis, 9.
This very gratifying position is the result of the sustained
campaign during the past fifteen years for the immunisation of
children, and the whole-hearted response of the parents in ensuring
that such a high proportion of children has been treated.
Parents, however, should not allow the success in recent
years to cause any slackening in their vigilance against diphtheria,
for it is only by maintaining a high percentage of immunised
children that the disease can be held in check.
Prom figures supplied by the Area Health Office the following