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
Hackney 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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The cases of diphtheria which have occurred among the "protected" population of the Borough, referred to by Dr. Porter Smith, are shown in the following table together with the number of persons found to be naturally immune to the disease and the number of patients immunised at the Council's clinic in each year since 1928:—
| Year. | Naturally Immune. | Immunised. | Total Number of "Protected" Persons, | Number of Cases of Diphtheria among ' 'Protected'' Persons. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | 95 | 190 | 285 | — |
| 1929 | 73 | 242 | 315 | — |
| 1930 | 122 | 295 | 417 | 1 |
| 1931 | 163 | 460 | 623 | — |
| 1932 | 91 | 314 | 405 | 2 |
| 1933 | 128 | 488 | 616 | 1 |
| 1934 | 166 | 774 | 940 | 1 |
| 1935 | 197 | 1,054 | 1,251 | 1 |
| Totals | 1,035 | 3,817 | 4,852 | 6 |
The following extracts from papers read at a joint conference
of the Invalid Children's Aid Association and Central Council for
the Care of Cripples, held on Thursday and Friday, 7th and 8th
November, 1935, at the Drapers' Hall, are of particular interest.
The speakers quoted are:—
Sir John Broadbent, Bart., M.D., F.R.C.P. (Consulting
Physician to St. Mary's Hospital, London Fever Hospital, etc.),
Surgeon-Captain Sheldon F. Dudley, O.B.E., M.D.,
F.R.C.P. (Deputy Medical Director of the Navy),
J. Alison Glover, O.B.E.,M.D.,F.R.C.P. (Senior Medical
Officer, Board of Education),
Matthew Burn, M.C., M.M., F.R.C.P. (Deputy Medical
Officer of Health, Birmingham), and
W.J. Pearson, M .D., F .R .C .P. (Physician to the Hospital
for Sick Children and to the Children's Department, University
College Hospital).
The views of the speakers I have summarised as follows:—