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
Whitechapel 1871
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Whitechapel]
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The following return shows the progress of small-pox in this District from the commencement of the epidemic, exclusive of the deaths in the small-pox hospitals.
| Dates. | Cases among the Pauper population. | Deaths amongall classes in the District. | Dates. | Cases among the Pauper population. | Deaths amongall classes in the District. | Dates. | Cases among the Pauper population. | Deaths among all classes ii the District. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 Sept. 24 | 3 | 2 | 1871 Feb. 11 | 25 | 10 | 1871 July 1 | 10 | 4 |
| Oct. 1 | 5 | 0 | „ 18 | 31 | 9 | „ 8 | 3 | 2 |
| „ 8 | 10 | 2 | „ 25 | 31 | 11 | „ 15 | 6 | 0 |
| „ 15 | 16 | 0 | Mar. 4 | 34 | 6 | „ 22 | 7 | 2 |
| , 22 | 13 | 3 | „ 11 | 32 | 4 | „ 29 | 2 | 1 |
| „ 29 | 7 | 3 | „ 18 | 15 | 5 | Aug. 5 | 10 | 0 |
| N v. 5 | 14 | 0 | „ 25 | 33 | 7 | „ 12 | 4 | 4 |
| „ 12 | 24 | 7 | April 1 | 15 | 3 | „ 19 | 2 | 0 |
| „ 19 | 23 | 7 | „ 8 | 19 | 5 | „ 26 | 1 | 1 |
| „ 26 | 16 | 4 | „ 15 | 14 | 5 | Sept. 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Dec 3 | 18 | 4 | „ 22 | 17 | 7 | „ 9 | 1 | 0 |
| „ 10 | 25 | 5 | „ 29 | 23 | 1 | „ 16... | 1 | 0 |
| „ 17 | 31 | 5 | May 6 | 7 | 4 | „ 23... | 1 | 0 |
| „ 24 | 25 | 6 | „ 13 | 4 | 1 | „ 30... | 0 | 0 |
| „ 31 | 18 | 3 | „ 20 | 23 | 5 | |||
| 1871 Jan. 7 | 20 | 3 | „ 27 | 13 | 6 | Totals | 812 | 187 |
| ,, 14 | 34 | 4 | June 3 | 5 | 1 | Deaths in Smallpox Hospitals | 49 | |
| „ 21 | 19 | 8 | „ 10 | 18 | 2 | |||
| „ 28 | 30 | 5 | „ 17 | 9 | 0 | 236 | ||
| Feb. 4 | 33 | 8 | „ 24 | 12 | 1 |
Mr. Ilott, the Resident Medical Officer of the Workhouse, informs me
that during this Quarter no cases of small-pox have been treated in the
small-pox wards. All the patients who were conveyed to the small-pox
hospital were taken direct from their respective residences ; and that out of
the cases so sent by the District Medical Officers eleven died.
From the foregoing returns, it appears that the cases of small-pox are
now so few as not to occasion any alarm in the minds of the people ; and
when we observe that during the last four weeks of the Quarter not a single
death from small-pox has been recorded in this District, we may reasonably
expect that the force of the epidemic has nearly expended itself.
SixiTARY Works Performed during the Quarter.
The following return shows the amount of work done' by the Sanitary
Inspectors during the Quarter ending September 30th, 1871:—
Number of inspections of houses as shown in the official returns 3552
Number of rooms found to be overcrowded, the space being less than 300 cubic feet for each person, reckoning 2 children under 10 > 23
years of age for one adult; nuisance in each case abated