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 1969
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]
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The following table gives a comparative picture of infectious diseases over the past twelve
years:—
| Disease | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) Cases reported on Ship's arrival | ||||||||||
| Amoebiasis | 4 | 1 | ||||||||
| Anthrax | - | - | ||||||||
| Cerebrospinal Fever (epidemic Cerebrospinal meningitis) | 1 | |||||||||
| Chickenpox | 8 | 19 | 20 | 9 | ||||||
| Cholera (including suspected) | ||||||||||
| Diphtheria | 1 | 2 | - | - | ||||||
| Dysentery | - | - | - | *1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |||
| Encephalitis (acute) | 1 | |||||||||
| Enteric (Typhoid or Paratyphoid) Fever | 1 | 2 | 2 | - | 6 | 8 | 5 | |||
| Enteritis | 14 | |||||||||
| Erysipelas | 1 | |||||||||
| Food Poisoning (or suspected) | 7 | 51 | 1 | |||||||
| German Measles | 8 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 7 | 8 | |
| Infective Hepatitis/Infective Jaundice | 1 | 9 | 8 | 9 | ||||||
| Leprosy | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Leptospirosis | ||||||||||
| Malaria (including suspected) | *1 | 12 | 6 | |||||||
| Measles | 109 | 35 | 60 | 68 | 43 | 22 | 15 | 26 | 4 | 29 |
| Meningitis (acute) (or Suspected) | 1 | |||||||||
| #Mumps | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | - | |||||||||
| Plague (including suspected) | ||||||||||
| Pneumonia acute primary | 3 | 4 | ||||||||
| Polioencephalitis (acute) | ||||||||||
| Poliomyelitis (acute) | ||||||||||
| Relapsing fever | ||||||||||
| Scarlet Fever (or Scarlatina) | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||||
| Smallpox (including suspected) | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Tetanus | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| Tuberculosis — pulmonary | 39 | 26 | 33 | 24 | 17 | 9 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 11 |
| Tuberculosis — non-pulmonary | — | — | 1 | |||||||
| Typhus Fever | ||||||||||
| Whooping Cough | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Yellow Fever (including suspected) | — | 1 | — | — | — | |||||
| TOTALS | 1116 | 373 | 299 | 222 | 317 | 158 | 124 | 134 | 561 | |
| This figure includes 366 cases of gastro enteritis from 3 ships and 87 cases of influenza from 4 ships | ||||||||||
| (b) Total cases admitted to Hospital including those reported after arrival | I960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| Amoebiasis | — | — | 4 | 2 | — | |||||
| Anthrax | — | - | - | - | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cerebrospinal Fever (epidemic Cerebrospinal meningitis) | ||||||||||
| Chickenpox | - | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Cholera (including suspected) | — | - | - | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Diphtheria | 1 | - | - | - | — | — | - | — | ||
| Dysentery (including suspected) | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 7 | — | — |
| Encephalitis (acute) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Enteric (typhoid or paratyphoid) Fever | 3 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Enteritis | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | ||
| Erysipelas | — | — | - | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| #Food Poisoning (or suspected) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | |
| German Measles | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Infective Hepatitis/Infective Jaundice | — | — | — | - | — | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | |
| Leprosy | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | |
| Leptospirosis | — | - | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Malaria (including suspected) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Measles | 10 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — |
| Meningitis (Acute) (or suspected) | — | — | — | - | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Mumps | 9 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Plague (including suspected) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Pneumonia, acute primary | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | |
| Polioencephalitis (acute) | — | - | — | - | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Poliomyelitis (acute) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Relapsing Fever | — | - | - | - | — | - | — | — | — | — |
| Scarlet Fever | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 3 |
| Smallpox (including suspected) | — | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tetanus | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | -r- | _ |
| Tuberculosis — pulmonary | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 11 | 5 | 9 |
| Tuberculosis — non pulmonary | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| Typhus Fever | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Whooping Cough | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| Yellow Fever (including suspected) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| TOTALS | 110 | 80 | 111 | 107 | 89 | 56 | 42 | 36 | 28 | 38 |
*Same case — final diagnosis was multiple myelomatosis
#Table amended 1966
15