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Of the 19,396 infants born, fully one-sixth, although born in
the Borough, now live outside the district, having been born in
the Lying-in Hospital, City Road. This leaves about 16,164 infants
resident.
Of the 2,896 infants unvaccinated at the time the above returns
were made, at least 1,200 have since been vaccinated, owing to the
prevalence of small-pox and the usual steps taken by the Vaccination
Officer in arrear cases. This leaves 1,696 to be still accounted for,
over the five years, or roughly 340 per annum. This works out at
one-ninth of the infants born. Mr. Garstang writes: "I estimate
"the number of unvaccinated children within the Borough to yield
"a return of ten per cent. after allowing for removals in and out,
"etc. This percentage cannot well be reduced until steps are taken
"to ensure correct registration of births and facilities for tracing
"those who wilfully avoid the visits of the Vaccination Officer by
"false addresses, removals, etc."
From these returns, then, it would appear that about ten per
cent. of the population, that is 10,000 persons, started life without
vaccination. But many of those accepted vaccination later on in
their lives when they came to think for themselves, or in times
of small-pox prevalence, as for example in the early seventies and
early nineties of last century. On the whole, therefore, it may be
said that about five per cent. of the population of Finsbury (i.e.,
about 5,000 persons) have never been vaccinated; 40 per cent. of the
population of Finsbury (i.e., about 40,000 persons) have been
recently vaccinated; which leaves 55 per cent. of the Finsbury
population as having been vaccinated at some time or other in
their lives, but probably more than half of them not within the last
ten years. Such are the main facts obtainable respecting the
general state of vaccination in Finsbury at the present time. There
can be little doubt that the increased prevalence of small-pox was
in part due to the comparatively high percentage of susceptible
persons in the community.
(d) General Sanitation and Freedom from Overcrowding—The facts
throwing any light upon the relationship of these matters to the
spread of small-pox, in the past epidemic, are the following two :—