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
Islington 1911
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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222
1911]
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| Years. | Vaccinations per 100 births, less infants who died unvaccinated. | Years | Vaccinations per 100 births, less infants who died unvaccinated. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 89.8 | 1896 | 73.9 |
| 1881 | 90.8 | 1897 | 73.3 |
| 1882 | 91.1 | 1898 | 64.9 |
| 1883 | 90.4 | 1899 | 66.4 |
| 1884 | 90.5 | 1900 | 67.9 |
| 1885 | 90.6 | 1901 | 75.8 |
| 1886 | 90.8 | 1902 | 80.0 |
| 1887 | 90.4 | 1903 | 8l.2 |
| 1888 | 88.4 | 1904 | 82.3 |
| 1889 | 89.0 | 1905 | 80.5 |
| 1890 | 89.3 | 1906 | 79.9 |
| 1891 | 87.4 | 1907 | 76.9 |
| 1892 | 1908 | 72.4 | |
| 1893 | 85.0 | 1909 | 70.7 |
| 1894 | 84.0 | 1910 | 66.7 |
| 1895 | 70.9 |
The figures in this table afford a strong proof of the decrease of
vaccination in Islington, for which some day it is more than possible that
unvaccinated persons will have to pay, either with their lives or their disfigurement.
In the present day too much dependence is placed on sanitation,
the Medical Officer of Health and the notification of the disease. But,
unfortunately, it may be unrecognised, if in a mild form, by the Practitioner,
who seldom sees cases of Small Pox, and then persons may become infected
who have been in contact with the patient, and who may afterwards carry it to
their homes, to infect others, until presently it appears in widely different
places, so that it becomes almost impossible to control it. On two or
three occasions there have been outbreaks in Islington, which might have been
most serious if it were not for the most energetic measures taken by the
Medical Officer of Health, who all the time felt that the risks run by the
public could never have occurred if vaccination and re-vaccination had been
practised by the persons who had been attacked. To-day, practically, no one
need be attacked with Small Pox, if he so desire, for he can at any time protect
himself. Unfortunately it happens that when there is no Small Pox about,
people become careless about vaccination; but when the dread disease appears
then people rush to protect themselves and their children, although not always
soon enough.
In 1910, the last year for which the returns have been completed, it
appears that out of 7,989 births 548 died before vaccination, so that only 7,441