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
Edmonton 1941
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Edmonton]
This page requires JavaScript
The following table gives the ago, incidcnce, etc. of those suffering from
notifiable diseases, excluding tuberculosis which is dealt with separately.
It must be noted that the figures in the second column ('No. removed to
hospital') includes those already under treatment at a hospital, for instanco,
tho North Middlesex County Hospital.
This remark applies more particularly to the infections associated with parturition and includes puerperal pyrexia and. ophthalmia neonatorum.
| Disease | Total No. of cases | NUmber removed to Hosp. | Deaths | - to 1 | 1 to. 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 to 4 | 4 to 5 | 5 . to 10 | 10 to 15 | 15 to 20 | 20 to 35 | 35 to 45 | 45 to 65 | 65 & over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet fever | 143 | 140 | - | 1 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 86 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | - |
| Diphtheria | 18 | 18 | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 | 6 | 2. | 3 | 5 | - | - | - |
| Enteric fever | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 1 | - |
| Puorperal pyrexia | 117 | 116 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 11 | 86 | 20 | - | - |
| Pneumonia | 99 | 43 | 73 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 8 |
| Erysipelas | 24 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 3 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 8 | 8 | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Food poisoning | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Whooping cough | 682 | 39 | 4 | 41 | 71 | 85 | 84 | 106 | 279 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | - | - |
| Measles | 1,556 | 40 | - | 54 | 131 | 179 | 161 | 288 | 792 | 26 | 8 | 12 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Cerebro-spinal fever | 18 | 12 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| Poliomyelitis | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Dysentery | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
The following table indicates the wards from which the cases were notified:-
| Disease. | Bury Street ward | Church Street ward | Angel Road ward | Silver Street ward | North Mddsx C.Hosp | Othor Inst'ns | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet fever | 63 | 82 | 18 | 35 | 5 | - | 143 |
| Diphtheria | 4 | 2 | 3 | 9 | - | - | 18 |
| Enteric fever | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | 3 |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 12 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 89 | - | 117 |
| Pneumonia | 41 . | 16 | 15 | 27 | - | - | 99 |
| Erysipelas | 7 | 3 | 3 | 11 | - | - | 24 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | - | - | 1 | - | 7 | - | 8 |
| Food poisoning | 1 | - | 6 | 2 | - | - | 9 |
| Whooping cough | 195 | 136 | 141 | 210 | - | - | 682 |
| Measles | 593 | 181 | 283 | 490 | 8 | 1 | 1,556 |
| Cerebrospinal fever | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | - | 18 |
| Poliomyelitis | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 5 |
| Dysentery | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
CANCER
The incidence of Cancer relative to the various organs of the body is given as under:-
| Males | Females | |
|---|---|---|
| Breast | 1 | 19 |
| Uterus | - | 6 |
| Buccal cavity and oesophagus | 6 | - |
| Stomach, and duodenum | 11 | 6 |
| All other sites | 50 | 53 |
| 68 | 84 |
PREVENTION. OF BLINDNESS
Cases of ophthalmia neonatorum are promptly visited and, if thought necessary,
are removed to hospital for treatment. No cases of blindness have arisen during
the year due to this cause.
As provided by Section 176 (1) of the Public Health Act, 1936, arrangements
exist withe the Middlosex County Council for the treatment at the school clinics
of adolescents who are ascertained at school to bo suffering from defective
vision.