[Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health and Sanitary / Public Health Inspector, Peterborough City.

  • Peterborough (England). City Council. nr 94004832.
Date:
1953
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health and Sanitary / Public Health Inspector, Peterborough City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    -12- Acute Poliomyelitis A total of 8 eases were notified in 1955,4 being paralytic and 4 non-paralytic. One of the paralytic eases had a fatal outcome, the victim, a girl of 7 years of age dying from a fulminant bulbar infection. In one other ease the patient has still considerable weakness of one arm: all other eases made a good recovery. The incidence of this disease in the city was spread over the period April-December, with most cases occuring in late September and October, and, at 0.14 cases per thousand population, was slightly higher than the national figure of 0.11. Dysenteryc Fourteen cases of dysentery, 13 of the Sonne type were notified. The fourteenth case was a recurrence of Amoebic Dysentery, in which the cysts of Entamoeba Histolytica were isolated, originally contracted during war service in the Far East. The thirteen cases of Sonne Dysentery occurred at various times between 1st.May and 31st.July at widely spread points in the City, and except for cases in the same family* it was not possible to establish any connection between them nor to implicate any common source of infection. In all,the infection occurred in 8 families, one family having 4 infected and two other families, 2 members infected. Ophthalmia Neonatorum Two cases were notified, both of non-genococcal origin, leaving no residual eye damage. Erysipelas One case notified in an elderly person-- responded satisfactorily to treatment. Malaria The two cases of this disease notified both occurred in Ex-Servicemen who had contracted the condition originally during overseas service. Food Poisoning The notification of 5 cases of Food Poisoning in 1953 gave an incidence of 0.09 cases per thousand population, which compares favourably with the index of 0.24 for England and Wales. All 5 cases comprised a single family outbreak. The history being this. On 24th. January a quantity of fish-paste was purchased from a general store.This paste, which has a considerable sale in the City is delivered to Retailers by Van from a Manufacturer some fifty miles away and is contaned in flat enamelled dishes, the top being sealed with margerinc. About two hours after purchase,half the quantity of paste which was bought was eaten by all five members of the family, with no ill-effects. The remaining portion of paste was placed in a clean china bowl, covered with muslin and stored in a food cupboard which, on later inspection was found to be clean and well- kept, and while not exactly hot,could not be described as cold. Two days later on the evening of 26th.January all live members of the family partook of the remaining fish-paste.