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
Wandsworth 1876
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth District, The Board of Works (Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting & Wandsworth)]
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contact with patients suffering from Small Pox in its
worst forms, has any one of these persons taken the disease,
with two significant exceptions, in which two nurses, who
in the hurry consequent upon a sudden outbreak of the
disease were allowed to enter upon their duties in the
wards without this protective operation having been performed,
and in each case a very severe attack of the
disease occurred.
The following Table shews the result of the Vaccina-tion Officer's work in the parish during the year, and the small number left unaccounted for, viz., 5 out of a total of 3459, reflects the highest credit upon the manner iu which the duties devolving upon him have been carried out.
| MONTHS. | Births registered during 1876 | Successfully Vaccinated | Insusceptible | Had Small Pox | Died Unvaccinated | Postponed by Medical certificate | Removed to places unknown | Not accounted for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January to June | 1757 | 1484 | 9 | ... | 164 | 15 | 80 | 5 |
| July to December | 1702 | 1463 | 3 | 1 | 156 | 12 | 67 | ... |
| Totals | 3459 | 2947 | 12 | 1 | 320 | 27 | 147 | 5 |
Water Supply.—The water supply has been the cause
of many complaints, both as to the quantity and as to the
quality of this absolutely necessary element. The parish is
supplied by the Southwark and Yauxhall Water Company,
and for many years past the public generally have complained
of the defective and irregular nature of that supply.
Other parishes have complained still more loudly than in
our case,—notably the parish of Bermondsey some years
since, when the so-called water famine occurred in that
locality. By some strange inadvertence on the part of
the legislature the water examiner has no control over
the quantity, but merely over the quality, of the water
supplied to the ratepayers.
c