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
City of London 1936
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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54
Third Injection, 5th June, 1936.
Number of boys on roll 164
„ „ injected 155
Of the 151 boys injected last time, two more had been licensed, but there were five new boys, and
one returned from leave. Of the eight boys on the roll who did not receive injections, there were still
six who had received A.D.S., one boy on leave and one absconded.
Following these injections there were no general reactions and only nine local, all of which showed
some redness.
Of the nine, one boy had reactions with the previous two injections, one with the first but not the
second, and two with the second but not the first injection. In the remaining five cases there had been
no previous reactions.
Throughout the series there were no reactions persisting for more than twenty-four hours.
It was found in this series, as is customary, that the reactions were most numerous and severe
following the second injection.
It is proposed to complete the injections on the five new boys and the two boys on leave. All boys
joining the ship in the future are to be immunised as they arrive.
In two month's time it is proposed to Schick test all the boys in the ship, including those who have
recently had diphtheria, but not been immunised. It is to be expected that the Schick test will show at
least a 90 per cent. immunity to diphtheria. Any non-immune should be given a second series of
injections and again tested until 100 per cent. immunity is obtained.
This method of immunisation should prevent anything in the nature of an epidemic of diphtheria
in the ship, but will not prevent isolated cases occurring in new boys until such time as they become
Schick Negative (probably three months after joining).
Active immunisation has no effect on the "Carrier" of Diphtheria, and is in fact only likely to
increase the number of "Carriers."
Table "A"
| Analysis. | 1st Injection. | 2nd Injection. | 3rd Injection. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number on roll | 170 | 161 | 164 |
| Number injected | 161 | 151 | 155 |
| Licensed | 1 | 7* | 2* |
| In Hospital | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| In Sanatorium | — | 1 | 1 |
| Sent to Borstal | — | 1* | — |
| Absent on Leave | — | 2 | 1 |
| Absconded | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| New Boys | — | — | 5 |
*Not included in number on roll.
Table "B "
| reactions. | 1st Injection. | 2nd Injection. | 3rd Injection. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First injection only | 9 | 9 | — | — |
| Second injection only | 16 | — | 16 | — |
| Third injection only | 5 | — | — | 5 |
| First and second injections | 6 | 6 | 6 | — |
| Second and third injections | 2 | — | 2 | 2 |
| First and third injections | 1 | 1 | — | 1 |
| All three injections | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | 25 | 9 |
Table "C."
| Group | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Receiving 3 Injections | 148 |
| 2 | „ 2 „ (To be completed or Schick Tested) | 1 (Leave). |
| 3 | „ 2 „ (Not to be „ „ „ „) | 2 (Licensed). |
| 4 | „ 1 „ (To be „ „ „ „) | 8 (5 New, 2 Hospital, 1 Leave). |
| 5 | „ 1 „ (Not to be „ ,, „ „) | 11 (9 Licensed, 1 Borstal, 1 Sanatorium). |
| 6 | „ 0 „ (To be „ „ „ „) | 4 (Hospital). |
| 7 | „ 0 „ (Not to be „ „ „ „ ) | 1 (Licensed). |
| Total number of boys included in series, 175. | ||
Results.
During the week commencing 14th September, 1936, Dr. Jones carried out a Schick Test on all the
boys who had been inoculated and who were still available, and reports as follows:—
One of the boys in Group 5 of Table "C" above who had been licensed, returned to the ship, and
his T.A.F. injections were completed, making the number in Group 1,149.
For Schick Test purposes only Groups 1, 2, 4, and 6 have to be considered.