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contains a population of about 1050, thus giving about 8 square yards
to each person, among whom the rate of mortality is 33.3 per 1000.
The area comprises Great Pearl Street, a portion of Little Pearl Street,
a few houses in Grey Eagle Street, Vine Court, Crown Court, New
Court, Wilk Court, Half Wilk Court, and Diamond Court; all in the
Parish of Spitalfields. The reason assigned by the Metropolitan Board
of Works for not preparing a scheme is, "that the area, as defined by
the Medical Officer of Health, is too small to enable the Board to make
a comprehensive improvement scheme. The Board has, accordingly
come to the conclusion not to prepare a scheme under the Act, for
the area in question, and has, in accordance with the requirements
of the 8th section of the Act, communicated this decision to the
Secretary of State."
Small-pox.
During this Quarter 144 deaths from small-pox were registered
in London; the weekly record of which varied from 6, the number
that was registered in the week ended June 19th, to 18 in that ended
May 1st.
"The deaths by small-pox, which were 2544 in 1877, and 1416 in
1878, fell, in 1879, to 458, of which 298 occurred in the 5 Metropolitan
Small-pox Hospitals; the mortality from this disease declined through
the year, for the deaths were thus distributed through the 4 Quarters:
221, 140, 63, and 34."
"The annual rate of mortality from small-pox, in London, to
10,000 living, in the thirty years 1841-70, was 3.1, but owing to the
severe epidemic of 1871-2, it rose in the nine years 1871-9 to 4.9.
During the recent epidemics of small-pox, conclusive evidence was
recorded by the authorities of the Metropolitan Small-pox Hospitals,
showing that, where the operation had been efficiently performed
vaccination proved an excellent safeguard; indeed, protection against
an attack was found to be in proportion to the efficiency of the operation.
In other words, the constitution will be as well protected from
subsequent attacks of small-pox as if the patient had gone through
all the stages of that disease."
It is much to be regretted that attempts are being made to alter,
I will not say amend, the existing Vaccination Act, so far as not to
allow repeated prosecutions of persons who refuse to give their children
the protection against one of the most loathsome and dangerous
diseases to which all people are liable; and it is earnestly to be
desired that all Boards of Guardians and Sanitary Authorities will
petition the Houses of Parliament against making the proposed
alteration in the existing Act. Vaccination, as I have on more than