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

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Lambeth 1902

Report on the vital and sanitary statistics of the Borough of Lambeth during the year 1902

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(a) 1 unvaccinated to 5 vaccinated (in persons under 10
years of age).
(b) 1 unvaccinated to 12 vaccinated (in persons 10 years
of age and over).
Bearing these proportions in mind, and assuming that vaccination
is no protection (as claimed by the anti-vaccinators), the
vaccinated children under 10 years of age in Lambeth ought to
have added to the epidemic 195 cases (instead of the 11) and 45
•deaths (instead of the 1). So, too, adults 10 years of age and over
in Lambeth ought to have added 480 cases (instead of the 314)
and 204 deaths (instead of the 37).
In this way it will be seen that the incidence rate upon the
population is very much less amongst the vaccinated than amongst
the unvaccinated, whether regard be had to the number of cases
of Smallpox notified, or to the deaths from Smallpox registered.
The same argument applies to both the child and the adult
populations of Lambeth Borough (or elsewhere throughout London).
In this way, the smallness of the figures will not prevent
satisfactory conclusions being drawn in regard to the efficacy of
recent vaccination as, practically, a preventative aganst death from
Smallpox, as well as against even an attack of the disease. Even
when a lengthened interval has elapsed between the operation
of vaccination or re-vaccination and the Smallpox attack, the
disease appears to be modified and rendered less fatal.
As was to be expected, all parts of the Borough have not
suffered equally. The incidence of the disease shews a rate of
7.5 in the Inner, as compared with 0.7 in the Outer, Wards,
and is found to have varied from a maximum 3.9 in Marsh
to a minimum 0.3 in Norwood, per 1000 inhabitants. The incidence
throughout the whole of the Borough of Lambeth was 1.3
per 1000 inhabitants—the smallness of the rate being due to the
•energetic precautionary measures that were taken (vide infra).
The 404 cases represent 333 infected houses, and may be
classified according to Wards as follow: —