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

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Greenwich 1856

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich District]

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12
Not being in possession of any such Returns for previous years,
I must content myself with a few remarks on the facts before you.
The first quarter will be seen to have numbered less deaths
than during any quarter in the year; in all probability depending
upon the mildness of the season at that period.
The second quarter will show an increase upon the previous
one of 85 deaths, arising from the prevalence of disease amongst
children and aged persons, particularly Measles, Hooping-cough,
and Chest Affections.
The third quarter will show a decrease of 75 deaths upon the
preceding one. Diarrhoea, as usual at that season of the year, was
very fatal amongst young children, numbering 54 victims under 10
years of age, during that period. In other respects the public
health was remarkably good.
The fourth quarter of the year was also healthy, and requires
no remark, with the exception that Small-pox prevailed to a considerable
extent in some parts of the Parish of Saint Paul, Deptford.
In my Monthly Reports I drew your attention to that fact; and
although no large amount of deaths arose from that disease, still, it
was remarked that the deaths that did occur were in children that
either had not been vaccinated, or that the vaccination had been
but very imperfectly attended to. Perhaps it would be desirable
that the attention of the Board of Guardians should be directed to
that fact. The compulsory character of the Vaccination Act has
been much misrepresented, as a forcible interference with the
independence of Englishmen and the discretionary power of parents.
Such is the feeling amongst a very large number of persons at the
present time, and more particularly amongst the poorer classes.
All law is an infringement on personal freedom, for the sake of the
public good; but we must not allow that children should be permitted
to die, because ignorant parents will not avail themselves on
their behalf of a safe and easy preventive measure; much less can
we suffer the lives of others to be placed in danger by such neglect.
The next table will show at a glance a summary of the deaths
registered in the District during the past year, the diseases causing
those deaths, and the ages at which those deaths took place.