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

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Islington 1868

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Parish of St Mary]

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much less prevalent throughout 1864. In the first quarter of 1865, smallpox
began to revive, increasing in extent till the end of July, or the beginning
of August, after which, it again declined till the month of March, 1866. In
1863, 609 cases were recorded in the public practice of the parish, and 108 deaths
on the Mortuary Table; in 1864, 86 cases, and 26 deaths; in 1865, 222 cases, and
58 deaths. Small-pox prevailed extensively throughout 1866, and towards November
assumed still more serious proportions, continuing severe during the whole of the
first two quarters of 1867. It subsided considerably in the summer of 1867, but
recovered itself somewhat in the autumn; after which, little change occurred until
August last year, when it almost suddenly disappeared. In 1866, 332 cases were
recorded in the public practice of the parish, and 67 deaths on the Mortuary Table;
in 1867, 349 cases, and 71 deaths; and last year, 182 cases only, and 45 deaths;
almost all of them prior to the month of August. The November outburst of smallpox,
in 1866, was preceded by a heavy spring and summer epidemic of measles, and
the subsidence of the disease in 1868 was followed by the epidemic of measles
recorded in an earlier part of this Report. Altogether, from the beginning to the
end of the epidemic, we have lost by death, from small-pox, above 480 persons.
The disease prevailed at first most extensively in the Thornhill Ward, and
especially among the poor population of the Bemerton District, where measles had
prevailed greatly in the earlier part of 1862. From this part of the parish, it
extended to Lower Holloway; and in the early part of 1863 to the Balls Pond and
Queen's Road districts, where measles, in 1862, had been severely epidemic, and
where the population was poor and negligent. In these districts, and in the
Barnsbury district, the small-pox was most prevalent in the months of May and
June, 1863. At later periods of the epidemic, Upper Holloway and the new streets—
inhabited by the labouring classes in that part of the parish—suffered considerably.
It is interesting to note the ages of the persons who were thus attacked,
because this is a point which has a practical bearing upon the protective influence
which the vaccination of the people has had in the progress of the epidemic. I
have recorded the ages of 1,359 of those attached. They were as follows :—
Total Under Under Age 70 and
Cases. 1 year 1- 2- 3- 4- 5yrs. 5- 10- 15- 20- 25- 30- 35- 40- 50- 60- upwards
In 1862 61 1 3 1 6 11 8 5 13 9 7 3 3 2
1863 393 10 11 16 14 14 65 60 59 67 60,43 14 11 10 1 3
1864 76 4 2 3 1 7 17 12 ,9 14 6 7 4 3 4
1863 167 3 3 3 3 12 16 32 33 30 14 9 6 8 1
I860 276 10 7 10 4 8 39 30 27 41 69 39 10 12 8 1
1867 255 11 9 10 8 10 48 37 23 37 51 22 17 7 8 4 1
1868 131 3 1 2 4 3 13 16 17 24 24 20 6 7 3 1
Total 1359 41 j 34 47 35 48 205 179 172 229 255 152 63 49 43 7 4 1
Of the infants under 1 year of age, there were aged:—Under 3 months, 10;
under 6 months, 11; under 9 months, 10; and under 12 months, 10.