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12
smallpox.
Both in the Wards of the Borough and (more so) in the outside areas selected for
purposes of comparison, the death-rates are much affected by variations in the sex-age
compositions of the populations. To eliminate such disturbances, the corrected rates given
in Table 11 have been calculated. The rates for the three southern Wards of the Borough
compare favourably with those for Hampstead and Willesden.
SMALLPOX.
For the fourth year in succession the Borough remained free from this disease, no case
having been reported since 1900. In the Metropolis seven cases were notified during the
year, but it is not known how many of them were erroneously diagnosed. That total was
one-third of that for 1909 (21 cases), but showed an increase of three above the total for 1908
(four cases). According to the returns issued by the Local Government Board there were 101
cases of this disease notified in the 255 sanitary districts (with a population at the last census
of upwards of 15 millions) sending weekly returns of notifications to the Board. The run of
the figures given below suggest that there is some danger of the disease entering on a phase
of renewed activity within the next year or so.

Such surmise lends additional interest to the Vaccination Returns for the past few years.
According to the information furnished by the Vaccination Officer 2,242 children out of
2,920 born during 1909 were successfully vaccinated during that year, the last for which a
final return is available. During the first half of last year, 1,089 out of 1,499 children born
during that period were vaccinated. It will be seen from the appended tabular statement that
84.2 per cent. of the children born during 1909 could be accounted for as either dead or
(officially) protected against smallpox, and 15.7 per cent. were not so accounted for, those
figures showing a slight increase in the first category and a slight decrease in the other.