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29
SMALL-POX.
There was no death from small-pox, the corrected
decennial average number being 0 9 ; nor was any case of
the disease notified. In London 35 cases were notified : five
cases were admitted to hospitals: one death only was registered
(in St. George, Hanover - square), the decennial average
number, corrected for increase of population, being 46. Dur—
ing the preceding ten years the deaths aggregated 436 only,
the numbers being 9, 0, 4, 8, 41, 206, 88, 55, 9, and 16 in the
successive years.
Reduction IN Small-pox Mortality IN London.—
The. reduction in small-pox mortality has been very great
since the Asylums Board adopted tbe practice of removing
the sick to the country. The Board were first called upon to
deal with the isolation of small-pox patients at the latter part
of 1870. During the ten years 1871-80, some 33,000 cases
were admitted to their hospitals in London. The deaths in
these ten years were 15,539, including 7,912 in 1871. In May,
1881, the first Camp Hospital was established at Darenth, and
the practice of removing the sick out of London, then initiated,
was gradually perfected, so that since 1885 practically all
cases coming under the care of the Managers have been
treated at the Hospital Ships and the Convalescent Hospital
at Gore Farm. During the ten years 1887-96, the cases
admitted to these hospitals were 5,232, and the deaths of
London people were, 429 only: 206 of the deaths were
registered in 1893, in which year 2,376 cases were ad—
mitted to the Managers' hospitals. Had the mortality
during these ten years been at the same rate as in the ten years
1871-80, the deaths, after correction for increase of population,
would have been, not 429 but 18,752. There has thus been a
saving of 18,323 lives in the ten years. This satisfactory
result—admittedly due in large measure to the removal of the
sick from London—was the outcome of the deputation of the