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

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Holborn 1929

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn Borough]

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63
Residents in the Borough who have been in Contact with Smallpox either at
their Place of Employment or elseichere outside the Borough.—Their homes
are visited as soon as notified to ascertain if any illness of a suspicious character
exists and to advise revaccination. If these contacts are kept under observation
at their place of employment, visits at the week-end only are made.
Contacts Residing Elsewhere, but Employed in the Borough.—The place of
work is visited and revaccination of the employees advocated. In instances of
this nature the employer often sends the contact home and only allows him to
return to work at the expiry of the period of danger.
All cases of chicken pox, whether notified by the school authorities or by a
medical practitioner, are visited and enquiries made particularly as to revaccination.
A well-vaccinated child under 10 years of age is almost certainly not suffering from
smallpox, in fact the earliest age at which such a child has contracted smallpox
during the present epidemic is 13 years of age. Any doubtful case is visited at
once by the Medical Officer of Health.
In a number of instances the medical practitioners have called upon the
services of the Medical Officer of Health to exclude the diagnosis of smallpox—the
evening surgeries and the presence in the Borough of two such large hospitals as
the Hospital for Sick Children and the Homoeopathic Hospital, result in his
services being called upon at many of the different hours of the seven days of the
week.

Vaccination. The following table kindly supplied by the Vaccination Officer of the Holborn Union on the 28th January, 1930, gives information respecting vaccination in the Borough of Holborn:—

Total Number of BirthsVaccinatedDied before VaccinationCons. ObjectorsInsusceptiblePostponed by Medical CertificateRemoved. No information as to VaccinationTemporarily unaccountec for
Holborn Sub-District:
12 months ended 30th June, 19291837915240242318
St. Giles and Bloomsbury Sub-District:
12 months ended 30th June, 19299445715010107
277124 45%22890843325

As in previous years a leaflet respecting the advantages of vaccination was
sent to the parents of all infants born in. or belonging to, the Borough. No
opportunity is lost of speaking about the vital importance of vaccination whether
for the baby or for the older person.
A Medical Officer of Health has described non-vaccination as "free trade in
smallpox." All statistics prove this. To any qualified medical man or woman it
seems almost incredible that there is to-day any question about the power of