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 1877
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Whitechapel]
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The following Table is continued from my last Quarterly Report, and exhibits the weekly progress in London of the existing epidemic of smallpox, and that of 1870-71 in the corresponding weeks.
| 1876-7. | Deaths | 1876-7. | Deaths | 1870-1. | Deaths | 1870-1. | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week ending | Week ending | Weekending | Weekending | ||||
| July 8 | 13 | Jan. 6 | 116 | July 9 | 13 | Jan. 7 | 79 |
| „ 15 | 2 | „ 13 | 100 | „ 16 | 11 | „ 14 | 135 |
| „ 22 | 8 | „ 20 | 79 | „ 23 | 15 | .. 21 | 188 |
| „ 29 | 7 | „ 27 | 86 | „ 30 | 11 | „ 28 | 157 |
| Aug. 6 | 1 | Feb. 3 | 103 | Aug. 6 | 15 | Feb. 4 | 196 |
| 12 | 9 | „ 10 | 90 | „ 13 | 11 | „ 11 | 211 |
| „ 19 | 5 | „ 17 | 72 | ,, 20 | 10 | „ 18 | 218 |
| „ 26 | 10 | „ 24 | 104 | „ 27 | 11 | „ 25 | 227 |
| Sept. 2 | 8 | March 3 | 84 | Sept. 3 | 9 | March 4 | 213 |
| 9 | 5 | „ 10 | 96 | „ 10 | 12 | „ 11 | 194 |
| „ 16 | 6 | ,, 17 | 100 | „ 17 | 11 | „ 18 | 185 |
| „ 23 | 11 | ,, 24 | 76 | „ 24 | 15 | „ 25 | 205 |
| ,, 30 | 15 | 31 | 86 | Oct. 1 | 13 | April 1 | 192 |
| Oct. 7 | 11 | April 7 | 78 | 8 | 27 | 8 | 214 |
| „ 14 | 16 | 14 | 60 | „ 15 | 13 | „ 15 | 265 |
| „ 21 | 22 | „ 21 | 68 | „ 22 | 17 | „ 22 | 276 |
| „ 28 | 15 | „ 28 | 89 | „ 29 | 21 | „ 29 | 261 |
| Nov. 4 | 21 | May 5 | 54 | Nov. 5 | 23 | May 6 | 288 |
| ,, 11 | 48 | „ 12 | 78 | „ 12 | 40 | „ 13 | 232 |
| „ 18 | 52 | „ 19 | 70 | „ 19 | 45 | „ 20 | 267 |
| „ 25 | 43 | „ 26 | 69 | „ 26 | 41 | „ 27 | 257 |
| Dee. 2 | 67 | June 2 | 61 | Dec. 3 | 60 | June 3 | 229 |
| „ 9 | 50 | 9 | 58 | „ 10 | 61 | „ 10 | 245 |
| „ 16 | 75 | „ 16 | 55 | „ 17 | 44 | „ 17 | 240 |
| „ 23 | 97 | „ 23 | 44 | „ 24 | 82 | „ 24 | 232 |
| „ 30 | 75 | „ 30 | 44 | „ 31 | 110 | July 1 | 235 |
| July 7 | 23 | „ 8 | 164 | ||||
| „ 14 | 32 | „ 15 | 133 | ||||
| „ 21 | 35 | „ 22 | 135 | ||||
| „ 28 | 27 | „ 29 | 132 | ||||
| August 4 | 22 | Aug. 5 | 87 | ||||
| „ 12 | 96 | ||||||
| „ 19 | 80 |
Small Pox and Vaccination.
The deaths in London from small-pox during this Quarter have been 828;
of these, as stated by the Registrar-General, 367 or 44.3 per cent. were certified
as unvaccinated, 301 were not stated as to vaccination, and 160 as vaccinated,
or 19.3 per cent. of the total mortality. These returns not only show that
vaccination is not so generally performed as it ought to be, but they also
prove that in the cases returned as vaccinated, the operation has not, in every
instance, been properly performed. According to the published returns of
the Small Pox Hospital at Highgate, as prepared by Mr. Marson, the
Resident Medical Officer of that Institution, who is the highest authority in
this country on small-pox, it appears that the rate of mortality in those
cases in which there have been four well-defined cicatrices, or scara,
is so small as to be under 1 per cent.; while amongst those who
have been badly vaccinated the rate of mortality is 15 per cent. This
being so, and the rate of mortality in London in the vaccinated cases,