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From this Table it appears that, as compared with 1858, Pulmonary Affections,
except Phthisis, were much less fatal; Measles, Scarlatina, Hooping Cough, and
the nervous diseases of infancy were also less fatal; whilst in the mortality from
Diarrhoea, Dysentery, and Cholera classed together, there was a considerable
increase, and from Typhus Fever there was a small increase.
Small Pox occasioned 37 deaths in 1859, and only 22 in 1858. Beside these
there have been eight deaths from that disease in St. Pancras parishioners at the
Small Pox Hospital I was unable to obtain any return of these deaths from
the Resident Medical Officer at that Hospital, who declined to let me consult
their Register of Deaths; but I have obtained them through the courtesy of
Dr. Ballards, Medical Officer of Health, from his weekly returns for Islington.
The deaths from Small Pox have been distributed amongst the sub-districts as
follows:—Regent's Park, 11; Tottenham Court, 2, and 1 in Hospital; Gray's
Inn Road, 2, and 3 in Hospital; Camden Town, 3; Kentish Town, 19, and 4
in Hospital; Somers Town, 0.
Of the whole number, 29 were either not vaccinated at all, or else vaccinated
after they had been exposed to the infection of Small Pox, and whilst the
disease was brooding in their system; only 3 are said to have been vaccinated
at an early enough period to afford them protection, and there is no evidence
in any of them that the vaccination was of a satisfactory kind; in 5 cases no
information as to vaccination could be obtained, so that the probability is that
these were also unvaccinated These facts speak for themselves, showing as
they do, in combination with innumerable others of the same kind, the great
protective power of vaccination. The number of cases sent to the Small Pox
Hospital by the Directors of the Poor of this Parish during the year 1859 was 76.
Owing to the prevalence of Small Pox during the last twelve months, increased
exertions have been made with the view of getting the practice of vaccination
more generally attended to. Handbills and large notices have been extensively
distributed through the Parish, calling the attention of the Public to the prevalence
of Small Pox, and the neglect of vaccination, and urging on them the
importance of getting themselves and their children vaccinated, reminding them
at the same time of the penalty to which they become liable by neglect.
Wherever Small Pox has been known to prevail, house to house visitations
have been made by myself, one of the Public Vaccinators, or the Inspectors, to
ascertain that vaccination and re-vaccination are not neglected, and other precautions
observed to prevent the spread of the disease.
The Registrars' Books have been consulted, and extracts made, at the expense
of the Directors of the Poor, of the addresses of all children born between
Michaelmas, 1858, and Michaelmas, 1859, whose vaccination had not been
certified. Then these places have been visited to discover how it was that the
children's vaccination was not certified. In some cases the children had