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
London County Council 1905
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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22
Smallpox and Vaccination.
The deaths from smallpox in the Administrative County of London numbered 10 in 1905 (52 weeks),
and two deaths were attributed to cowpox and effects of vaccination.
The death-rates from smallpox in successive periods have been as follows:—
| Period. | Smallpox death-rate per 1,000 persons living. | Period. | Smallpox death-rate per 1,000 persons living. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1841-50 | 0.402 | 1901 | 0.0511 |
| 1851-60 | 0.280 | 1902 | 0.2821 |
| 1861-70 | 0.276 | 1903 | 0.0031 |
| 1871-80 | 0.457 | 1904 | 0.0051 |
| 1881-90 | 0.145 | 1905 | 0.0021 |
| 1891-1900 | 0.0101 |
The smallpox death-rate in each year since 1840 in relation to the mean smallpox death-rate of
the period 1841-1905 is shown in diagram V.
During the complete years in which the notification of infectious diseases has been obligatory, the number of cases of smallpox (uncorrected for errors in diagnosis) notified to the medical officers of health in the various sanitary districts comprised in the administrative county has been as follows—
| Year. | Cases notified. | Case-rate per 1,000 persons living. |
|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 60 | 0.014 |
| 1891 | 114 | 0.027 |
| 1892 | 425 | |
| 1893 | 2,815 | 0.653 |
| 1894 | 1,193 | 0.274 |
| 1895 | 980 | 0.223 |
| 1896 | 225 | 0.050 |
| 1897 | 104 | 0.023 |
| 1898 | 33 | 0.007 |
| 1899 | 29 | 0.006 |
| 1900 | 86 | 0.019 |
| 1901 | 1,700 | 0.375 |
| 1902 | 7,796 | 1.675 |
| 1903 | 416 | 0.090 |
| 1904 | 489 | 0.105 |
| 1905 | 74 | 0.016 |
If the London smallpox death-rate be compared with the death-rates of the following large
English towns, it will be seen that in the decennium 1895-1904 the London death-rate was higher than
that of any except West Ham and Hull, and in the year 1905 was exceeded by the death-rates of
Leeds, Bradford, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Hull.
| Towns. | 1895-1904. | 1905. | Towns. | 1895-1904. | 1905. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham | 0.06 | — | |||
| Liverpool | 0.03 | — | Bradford | 0.01 | 0.02 |
| Manchester | 0.01 | — | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Birmingham | 0.01 | o.oo | Hull | 0.07 | 0.01 |
| Leeds | 0.01 | 0.01 | Nottingham | 0.01 | 0.00 |
| Sheffield | o.oo | — | Salford | 0.00 | — |
| Bristol | o.oo | — | Leicester | 0.01 | — |
In this table 0.00 indicates that the deaths were too few to give a rate of 0.005; where no death occurred — is
inserted.
The following table shows that the London smallpox death-rate was in the decennium 1895-1904
higher than that of any of the undermentioned foreign towns except St. Petersburg, and in the year
1905 was exceeded only by the death-rates of Paris and St. Petersburg.
| Towns. | 1895-1904. | 1905. | Towns. | 1895-1904. | 1905. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg | 0.10 | 0-05 | |||
| Paris | 0.03 | 0.04 | Berlin | o.oo | o-oo |
| Brussels | 0.03 | 0.00 | Vienna | o.oo | — |
| Amsterdam | o.oo | — | Rome | o.oo | o-oo |
| Copenhagen | 0.00 | — | New York | 0.03 | o-oo |
| Stockholm | o.oo | — |
—
In this table 0 00 indicates that the deaths wore too few to give a rate of 0 005 ; where no death occurred — is
inserted.
1 See footnote (1) page 9. 2 See footnote (2) page 9