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 1879
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Whitechapel]
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VACCINATION.
WHITEGHAPEL UNION.— Return of the number of Cases Vaccinated by the Public Vaccinator and the Medical Officer of the Workhouse, together with the number of Births Registered during the same quarters.
| Quarter ending— | PUBLIC VACCINATION | Workhouse. | Totals. | Births Registd. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Cases. | Re-Vaccination. | Primary Cases. | Re-Vac- cination | Primary Cases. | Re-Vacci-nation. | ||
| September, 1877 | 836 | — | 26 | — | 362 | — | 607 |
| December | 241 | 3 | 32 | — | 273 | 3 | 704 |
| March, 1878 | 288 | 13 | 29 | — | 317 | 5 | 688 |
| Jane | 443 | 5 | 43 | — | 489 | 6 | 672 |
| September | 480 | 6 | 30 | 1 | 510 | 4 | 644 |
| December | 258 | 4 | 26 | — | 284 | 13 | 638 |
| March, 1879 | 273 | 1 | 37 | — | 310 | 1 | 753 |
| June | 539 | 24 | 25 | — | 564 | 24 | 656 |
| Totals | 2858 | 55 | 251 | 1 | 3109 | 56 | 5362 |
It is satisfactory to note that there has. been a large increase in
the number of Vaccinations during this Quarter.
Small Pox.
This disease appears to have very nearly left this District ; for
according to my returns for the last four Quarters, there have only
been 3 deaths (two of which occurred in the Small-pox Hospital),
and those are recorded for the Quarter ended 28th September, 1878.
The total cases of this disease for the above-named period, which are
recorded in the books of the Medical Officers of the Union, have been
only 5 ; of which number 4 took place in the Quarter ended 28th
September, 1878. Cases of scarlet-fever have, however, been much
more prevalent. The deaths from this disease show an increase of 7
in the number recorded in the corresponding Quarter of the previous
year, and the cases as shown in the returns of the Medical Officers of
the Union have increased from 1 to 17.
When scarlet-fever and fever are prevalent a large amount of
extra work devolves upon the Sanitary Inspectors in their carrying
out the disinfection of the clothes, bedding, &c., which have been
used by the patients, and which occasionally occupies their time
until late at night, and in cases of emergency even on Sunday morning.
The cases of this disease have been very numerous on the North