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
St Giles (Camberwell) 1889
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell]
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121
perform the duties above indicated in respect of all cases of
dangerous infectious diseases brought under their cognisance ;
but it is needless to say that until notification became compulsory
the information which they received was comparatively
scanty and imperfect. The Notification Act has very
largely increased the work of the Sanitary Authorities, and
more especially that of the Sanitary Inspectors, in respect of the diseases above specified.
And although such diseases lave not on the whole been largely fatal during the five months in which the Act has been in operation, it will be seen by the following table (which gives the total number of cases coming to our knowledge during the first seven months of the year ending March 25th, 1890, and the total notified during the last five months) how largely notification has made us acquainted with the prevalence of infectious diseases, and added to the labours and responsibility of the Sanitary Department.
| Scarlet Fever. | Diphtheria. | Typhoid Fever | Small-pox. | Puerperal Fever | Erysipelas. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| During first 7 months of year | 170 | 45 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 229 |
| Notified during last 5 months | 504 | 149 | 58 | 2 | 3 | 90 | 810 |
| Total for year | 674 | 194 | 75 | 2 | 4 | 90 | 1,039 |
Notification has not only done this, but it has needed
the continued services of the clerk (whom you were kind
enough to appoint at my suggestion) whose time has been