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
Surbiton 1943
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Surbiton]
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NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES DURING THE YEARS ENDED 31st DECEMBER, 1934 to 1943.
| 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 49 | 22 | 10 | 27 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 2 |
| Scarlet Fever | 87 | 78 | 90 | 82 | 80 | 24 | 60 | 24 | 80 | 299 |
| Enteric Fever | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Paratyphoid Fever | - | - | - | ..- | - | - | 1 | - | - | - |
| Puerperal Pyrexia | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Pneumonia | 40 | 30 | 51 | 39 | 33 | 37 | 45 | 46 | 14 | 34 |
| Erysipelas | 7 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Encephalitis Lethargica | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cerebro-spinal Fever | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 17 | 4 | 2 | - |
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | - | 4 | 1 | 2 | - |
| Acute Poliomyelitis | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Dysentery | - | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | -• | - | 1 | 2 |
| Malaria | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Measles | 1 | 839 | 327 | 433 | 323 | |||||
| Whooping Cough | 4 | 6 | 369 | 65 | 176 | |||||
| Chicken Pox | 6 | |||||||||
| Total | 201 | 152 | 167 | 171 | 141 | 90 | l,003 | 793 | 616 | 845 |
An interesting feature shown from the above table is the decline
of the numbers of Diphtheria. Immunisation and Schick Testing was
started in 1935 and from that date the decline has continued. A
slight increase is shown in 1941-1942 probably due to falling off in
immunisation, removal due to war conditions and bombing etc.
Scarlet Fever shows a remarkable increase, but fortunately the
disease is not so severe as was the case in earlier years. The
increase is not readily explained, but overcrowding and the fact that
all cases are not sent to hospital may account for this rise.
There have been a few return cases.
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