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48
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
Clapham the increase was only .9, in Putney 10.9, in Streatham 2.6,
and in Wandsworth 5.0. In the Report for this Borough for 1904,
attention was called to the increase in the percentage in Clapham, this
year, however, there has been a decided decrease. In the previous
Table it will be seen that the total number of children remaining on
the books in Clapham as unvaccinated was 311, compared with none
in Putney, 50 in Streatham, and 19 in Wandsworth. There are two
possible reasons for this, either an increasing objection to vaccination
in that part of the Borough, or there must be some laxity in
-administration.
Putney shows a slight falling off from the previous year, but is
still very much above the decennial average. Streatham shows a slight
improvement, although the rates are still low, while Wandsworth, with
a percentage of 82'8 successfully vaccinated, shows an increase of l.l
compared with 1903.
The percentage of successful vaccinations in this Borough still
compares favourably with the rest of London and with the whole of
England.
In the Local Government Board's returns for the year 1902 the
rate for London was 67.9, and for England and Wales 74.8 per cent.
602 infants died unvaccinated, a percentage of 8.6, compared
with 8.3 in 1903.
Of the remaining 1,242 infants, 31 or .4 per cent. were stated to
have been insusceptible to vaccination, 137 or 19.0 per cent. in respect
of whom certificates of conscientious objection were received, 223 or
3.1 per cent. had the vaccination postponed by medical certificate,
leaving 1,471 or 6.7 per cent. as removed, not to be traced, or otherwise
unaccounted for, while 380 or 5.4 per cent. remained on the books
as unvaccinated.
If the number of deaths registered be deducted from the total
births, then of the 6,388 surviving infants, 80.5 per cent were
successfully vaccinated, compared with 80.4 in 1903; 48 were
unsuccessful of vaccination compared with 5 per cent.; 3.4 per cent.
were under medical certificate of postponement compared with 3;
and 2.1 per cent in regard to whom certificates of conscientious