London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

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]

This page requires JavaScript

Text

Copy text to clipboard

8
half-year Mr. Coombes succeeded in obtaining and recording certificates of
the successful primary vaccination of 1409 children. The satisfactory
manner in which vaccination is carried out in this District, and which I
mentioned in my last report, may account for the comparative freedom from
small-pox therein.
In every house where small-pox existed, parents were cautioned not
to send the other children to school during the prevalence of the disease ;
and information of the existence of small-pox was, in every case, reported
to the School Masters and Mistresses of the Schools where the children
attended.
All the rooms in which small-pox, fever, or scarlet-fever, occurred have
been disinfected with sulphurous acid gas; and notices were served upon
the respective owners to strip the old paper off the walls, and to thoroughly
cleanse the walls and ceilings. The Inspectors report that in all cases these
notices have been complied with.
On the 19th February, a woman died in her confinement of malignant
small-pox.

Table: The following table, exhibiting the weekly progress in London of the existing epidemic of small-pox, and that of 1870-71 in the corresponding weeks, is interesting, as showing a similar progression of the disease:—

The following table, exhibiting the weekly progress in London of the existing epidemic of small-pox, and that of 1870-71 in the corresponding weeks, is interesting, as showing a similar progression of the disease:—

1876-7.Deaths1876-7.Deaths1870-1.Deaths1870-1.Deaths
Week endingWeek endingWeekendingWeek ending
July 813Jan. 6116July 913Jan. 779
„ 152„ 13100„ 1611„ 14135
„ 228„ 2079„ 2315„ 21188
„ 297„ 2786„ 3011„ 28157
Aug. 51Feb. 3103Aug. 615Feb. 4196
„ 129„ 1090„ 1311„ 11211
195„ 1772„ 2010„ 18218
„ 2610„ 24104„ 2711„ 25227
Sept. 28March 384Sept. 39March 4213
„ 95„ 1096„ 1012„ 11194
„ 166„ 17100,, 1711„ 18185
„ 2311„ 2476„ 2415„ 25205
„ 3015„ 3186Oct. 113April 1192
Oct. 711April 778„ 827„ 8214
„ 1416„ 1460„ 1513„ 15265
„ 2122„ 2168„ 2217„ 22276
„ 2815„ 2889„ 2921„ 29261
Nov. 421May 554Nov. 523May 6288
„ 1148„ 1278„ 1240„ 13232
„ 1852„ 1970„ 1945„ 20267
„ 2543„ 2669„ 2641„ 27257
Dec. 267June 261Dec. 360June 3229
950958„ 1061„ 10245
„ 16751655„ 1744.. 17240
„ 2397„ 2482„ 24232
„ 3075„ 31110July 1235
„ 8164