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
Battersea 1896
Report upon the public health and sanitary condition of the Parish of St. Mary, Battersea during the year1896
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that of the population at large to the risk of contagion, and that
the period referred to included that of the epidemic in London of
1870.2, when there were so many attacks of and deaths from
Small-Pox, the statement is certainly noteworthy.
We have not been able to obtain information bringing the statistics given above down to the present date. We have been furnished, however, with the following particulars:—
| Year. | General Post Office | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of established officers employed. | Number of cases of Small-Pox. | Number of deaths from Small-Pox. | |||
| 1891 | 47,264 | None. | None. | ||
| 1892 | 54,198 | 2 | None. | ||
| 1893 | 58,311 | 4 | None. | ||
| 1894 | 60,490 | 11 | 1 | ||
It is noteworthy that, in the year 1892, 12 officers were
absent from duty on account of the presence of small-pox in their
houses ; in 1893, 44 ; and in 1894 as many as 53.
It should be mentioned that a study of the facts observed by
the medical men who have investigated recent epidemics tends to
the conclusion that the re-vaccination induced by the existence of
an epidemic of Small-Pox has played no small part in checking
the spread of the disease and narrowing its limits. It seems to
have been a very important factor in controlling the epidemic.
Summing up, then, the evidence on the subject of re-vaccination
so far as regards this country, we find that particular
classes within the community amongst whom re-vaccination has
prevailed to an exceptional degree have exhibited a position of
quite exceptional advantage in relation to Small-Pox, although
these classes have in many cases been subject to exceptional risk
of contagion. We find, further, taking the evidence as a whole,
that in the population at large re-vaccinated persons seem to be