London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Carshalton 1954
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Carshalton]
This page requires JavaScript
The number of persons successfully treated and recorded under these arrangements during 1954 was as follows:—
| Age at 31st Dec., 1954 | Under lyr. | 1-4 yrs. | 5-14 yrs. | 15 yrs. & over. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 | 82 | 9 | 1 | 180 | |
| At Clinics | l30 | 97 | 3 | — | 239 |
| 227 | 179 | 12 | 1 | 419 | |
| /– | 4 | 13 | 5 | 22 | |
| At Clinics | – | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| — | 5 | 13 | 5 | 23 | |
| In addition the following unsuccessful attempts at vaccination were made: | |||||
| Age at 31st December, 1954 | Under 1 yr. | 1-4 yrs. | 5-14 yrs. | 15 yrs. & over. | Total. |
| Primary | a | 3 | — | — | 9 |
| Re-vaccination | — | 3 | – | — | 3 |
| 6 | 6 | — | — | 12 | |
The estimated number of children under 5 years of age vaccinated
at the 31st December, 1954 was 1,686, which represents 45% of that age
group.
Enteric Fever
There were no cases of typhoid or paratyphoid fever.
Dysentery
Sonne dysentery was prevalent in the first half of the year, 73 cases
occuring in the northern part of the district. In conformity with past
experience, when introduced into a family it spreads to most, if not all
members of the household and the majority of cases come to notice as
the result of investigation into domestic contacts. Mention has been made
in previous reports of the difficulty in controlling this infection, owing
to the fact that its true nature and highly contagious character is seldom
recognised. Moreover, its relative mildness provides little incentive to
seek medical advice. When such advice is sought, it is rarely investigated
bacteriologically and many cases are designated gastro-enteritis,
dietetic indiscretion, or other convenient diagnoses. All cases recovered.
46