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15
Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health—1874—5.
owing to the presence of fever; which omission was perhaps not a reason for regret; but
the holding the assizes at Brighton from the same cause, must have inflicted a serious money
loss upon Lewes; besides this, the schools have been ruined, and house property greatly
depreciated. Fear and injury to business and property, will prove urgent and important
agents in the promotion of sanitary reform. They speak plainly, and act rigorously and
impartially.
I suppose it may not be possible that this class of disease should ever be utterly
extirpated. Very much of the fatality it may produce, however, will depend not so much
upon the power of the poison germ, as upon the health and sanitary condition of the
community it attacks. The germs of these diseases are thought to be organised and living
bodies, just as a seed is an organised and living body, and in like manner they possess the
power of reproduction when circumstances are favourable for their developement, and
increase a million fold.
On examining the above table the first thing that arrests attention is, the absence of
death from small-pox. In the year 1871-2 there were registered 120 deaths. The following
facts will show the importance of vaccination. An epidemic of this disease occurred in
Baltimore, U.S., in the years 1871—3. During this time 1246 patients were under observation.
Of the 1246 patients 250 shewed satisfactory evidence of vaccination. Among the
unvaccinated the deaths were 53 per cent., whilst among the vaccinated only 2 per cent.
No death happened where the patient shewed a good mark from vaccination done after
puberty. During the past twelve months 55 unvaccinated persons were admitted into the
small-pox ward of the Montreal General Hospital, all except 5 suffered from its worst form.
Out of these 55, twenty-eight died, giving a mortality of over 50 per cent. Of those who
had been vaccinated and showed two fair marks, there were only i deaths in the 100. Seven
had more than two good marks, these had the disease in its very mildest form, making a
speedy recovery (British Medical Journal). Dr. Doran in his biography of a Lady of the
last century, presents to lis a graphic account of the fears and ugliness produced by smallpox.
"There were two events" he writes "to which maidens of that time looked forward
to as their probable but not equally desirable lot, namely, marriage and small-pox. It
happened that a younger sister of this lady (Mrs. Montague) fell ill of the disease at Horton,
near Hythe, and was sent away to a friend's in the neighbourhood. When she had
recovered so far as to be able to walk out in the fields, Mrs. Montague was allowed to
approach her within speaking distance, so that she might talk with her and be assured of
her convalescence. The invalid however was veiled, as it was thought better Mrs. Montague
should not be shocked by the sight of the devastation which this foul disease had wrought
upon the beauty of the sufferer.'' This disease killed in London alone in the year 1871,
upwards of 7,900 persons. The mortality from measles was 47, two in excess of the preceding
year. The deaths from scarlet fever returned during the year were 51, against 11
and 8 respectively of 1872—3 and 1873—4. This disease killed in 1874, in England and
Wales 24,605 persons. The death rate from whooping-cough and diarrhoea was less in
both cases than in 1873—4, in the former by 9, and in the latter by 36. Diarrhoea was the
most fatal disease of the zymotic class. To fever were referred 18 deaths, 5 in excess of
the year 1873—4; excepting that year the mortality was lower than in any year of the
preceding ten. From this disease 128 deaths were recorded in the year 1864—5.