[Report 1965] / Medical Officer of Health, Shrewsbury Borough.

  • Shrewsbury (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1965
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1965] / Medical Officer of Health, Shrewsbury Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    far more of them. Whether a large proportion of those now 65 years of age or thereabouts are likely to remain fit and useful citizens is, of course, a challenge to the health and particularly the geriatric services. During the year prevelence of an illness was reported by General Practitioners which, although not notifiable, was apparently infectious. It took a form very similar to Sonne dysentery, but specimens were negative for dysentery organisms and the mode of spread was different in that all members of a family were ill within hours or, at most, a couple of days from the onset in that family. Generally, recovery was rapid but jaundice was a not infrequent complication. Also, a type of muscular rheumatism was reported similar to pleurodynia and possibly infectious ; the reports coming in over most of the winter and spring. Upper respiratory catarrh probably causes more minor illness here than in most areas and new arrivals in the town frequently report this complaint, plus lethargy, to their doctors, while those who live in houses subject to flooding also complain of rheumatism. Children living in these areas apparently also have very frequent coughs and colds. General Practitioners are kept busy with psycho-neurosis but apparently the incidence of the organic psychoses is not increasing. The general opinion seems to be that the standard and the pace of modern living is bringing its own picture of mortality and morbidity. Whether a large proportion of those in their 30’s, 40’s and 50’s-—the generation which fancies that they live harder and suffer more stress than did any previous generation—will survive to their 60’s and 70’s either as chronic invalids or in good health remains to be seen. As regards the notifiable infectious diseases, the changes in the pattern of measles epidemics, already noted last year, continues, the epidemics getting longer and the free periods shorter. This year the 385 cases notified were spread out through the winter, spring and summer with a relatively measles free autumn. Five of the 385 cases were in hospital but there were no deaths. One notification of whooping cough probably does not give a true picture as mild and modified cases are generally difficult to diagnose with certainty and the benefit gained by ensuring the correct diagnosis is not, in contrast to smallpox and the enteric fevers etc., sufficient to warrant the effort and expense of the necessary tests. Sporadic cases of scarlet fever occurred. No source was found and no common factor was unearthed. The town has once again been free of enteric fever. Every year one or two contacts of cases of enteric fever have to be supervised and this year was no exception. Figures kindly supplied by the CountyCouncil of immunisations and vaccinations should be read in conjunction with the small numbers of, or complete absence of, notifications of the diseases in question.