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
City of London 1968
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
This page requires JavaScript
(b)Total cases admitted to Hospital 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968
including those reported after arrival.
| Amoebiasis | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Cerebrospinal Fever (epidemic Cerebrospinal meningitis) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 5 | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Continued Fever | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 5 | 2 | — | 1 | |
| Enteritis | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Erysipelas | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | |
| German Measles | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 5 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 2 | — | — | |
| Membranous Croup | _ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Meningococcal Infection | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Mumps | 7 | — | 9 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1 |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Pneumonia, acute primary | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Pneumonia, acute influenzal | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Polioencephalitis (acute) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 11 | 5 | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Other diseases (including chicken- | |||||||||||
| pox up to and including 1965 only #) | 114 | 75 | 86 | 65 | 86 | 86 | 72 | 44 | - | 5 | — |
| TOTALS | 134 | 93 | 110 | 80 | 111 | 107 | 89 | 56 | 42 | 36 | 28 |
* Same case — final diagnosis was multiple myelomatosis
# Table amended 1966
On the 1st April a ship arrived in the Port of London from Australia via Durban, (for bunkers),
and Hull, where she had part discharged refrigerated and general cargo. The whole of the crew
except the Master, a junior engineer officer and the ship's butcher had signed off articles at Hull
and had been replaced by a temporary crew for the coastal passage. No sickness on board was
reported on arrival in London. However, on the same day a message was received from the Medical
Officer of Health of the Hull and Goole Port Health Authority that the voyage radio officer had,
subsequently to disembarkation, at Hull, become ill with food poisoning and that Salmonella
typhimurium had been isolated (Case A). The Medical Officer of Health for the Port of Hull had
informed the Medical Officer of Health of each district concerned, of the names and addresses to
which the voyage crew had proceeded.
A thorough inspection of the accommodation including the dry and refrigerated provision
store rooms, galley, pantries and cafeteria was carried out and all of these compartments were
found to be clean and well maintained. The medical log showed one case of peptic ulcer and
three cases of gastro-enteritis as having occurred during the voyage. The ship was placed under
surveillance and was visited daily. No further reports were being received from Hull and it was
considered that the case of Salmonellosis had been an isolated one.
On the 11th April the first of the voyage crew members, a galley boy, returned on board from
leave and resumed duties, which included washing dishes and preparing vegetables. Three days
later the boy's parents visited him on board and brought with them a: letter from his local health
authority which stated that his stools had been found positive to tests and that S. typhimurium had
been isolated. The boy was thereupon landed and admitted to the Seamen's Hospital at Greenwich
(Case B).
On the 17th April anAble Seaman returned on board from leave who had also proved positive
to tests for S. typhimurium. He was thereupon also landed and admitted to the same hospital.
(Case C).
A pattern had now emerged as Case A was the case recorded as peptic ulcer in the ship's
medical log and Cases B and C were two out of three cases of gastro-enteritis also recorded
therein. The ship was scheduled to sail direct for Australian Ports on the 25th April. A conference
14