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
Lambeth 1902
Report on the epidemic of smallpox 1901-2 in the Borough of Lambeth
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Of the 133 adult visitors to the Smallpox Hispital, 115 were,
before admission, re-vaccinated or had had previous attacks of
Smallpox, and of these none sickened; whereas of the 18 adults
vaccinated in infancy, who refused re-vaccination, 1 sickened
(5.5 per cent.).
In tabular form these results show up clearly :-
| Vaccinated | Under 10 years | 727 | (6 sickened). |
| 10 years and over. | 2184 | (88 sickened). | |
| Re-vaccinated or had previous Smallpox attack | Under 10 years. | 0 | (0 sickened). |
| 10 years and over. | 568 | (5 sickened). | |
| Unvaccinated | Under 10 years. | 73 | (12 sickened). |
| 10 years and over. | 37 | (9 sickened). | |
| Vaccinated during quarantine | Under 10 years. | 109 | (6 sickened). |
| 10 years and over. | 3 | (3 sickened). | |
| Re-vaccinated during quarantine | Under 10 years. | 99 | (1 sickened). |
| 10 years and over. | 1254 | (11 sickened). | |
| Total 5054 | Vaccinated (including those revaccinated in quarantine). | 4264 (106 sickened) = 2.5% | |
| Re-vaccinated or had previous attack of Smallpox. | 568 (5 sickened) = 0.9% | ||
| Un-vaccinated (inceluding those vaccinated in quartine). | 222 (30 sickened) = 13.5% | ||
In other words, of those persons who were, by vaccination, revaccination,
or a previous attack of Smallpox, protected (partially
or wholly), 2.3 per cent. contracted Smallpox, as compared with
13.5 per cent, of those not so protected.
An unprotected person in Lambeth Borough ran, during the late
Epidemic, 6 times as much risk of contracting Smallpox as a protected
person.
Taking the full totals, it is seen that of the 4914 protected
(partly or wholly) persons (adults and children), 120 sickened on
exposure to Smallpox, i.e., 2.4 per cent.; whilst of the 110 unprotected
persons (adults and children), 21 sickened, i.e., 19.1 per
cent.
It is difficult to get away from these figures, which have been
most carefully collected and tabulated, and the conclusion to be
drawn therefrom are sufficiently obvious.
Everyone who has had experience of Smallpox outbreaks knows
the great value of recent vaccination and re-vaccination as certain
preventatives against attacks of Smallpox. Even vaccination per-