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

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St Pancras 1866

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]

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to the total number of admissions to the Small Pox Hospital in 16 years, was
53 per cent.; and this proportion has been higher during the epidemic of the past
four years, than it was in 1851-52, or 1854-56, or 1859-60. During the recent
epidemic, the proportion has risen to 81 per cent. It might apoear from these
figures at first sight, that although vaccination may render Small Pox, when it
occurs, less virulent, it has entirely lost its power in preventing the occurrence of
the disease. There is, however, good reason to believe that there are in London,
about 95 per cent. of the community who have either been vaccinated, or had
Small Pox; so that if Small Pox attacked the vaccinated, and the unvaccinated
in equal proportions, there would be nineteen times, instead of four times, as many
vaccinated persons, as unvaccinated, with Small Pox. Still the results above
given are not so satisfactory as could be wished; and there is reason to believe,
that with the best attainable arrangements for vaccination, much better results
would be obtained. It is very rare to see Small Pox in persons whose arms
exhibit three or four scars of normal vaccination ; the cases of Small Pox, and
especially the severer cases in vaccinated persons, are seen in those whose
vaccination has not taken well, and has left but one or two meagre scars.
Small Pox in St. Pancras is much more common in Kentish Town than in
the southern parts of the Parish ; 30 fatal cases out of 59 in 1866, coming from
Kentish Town. It is more common amongst persons who come from the country
than amongst the natives of London. There is reason to believe, that a larger,
proportion of unvaccinated and imperfectly vaccinated persons, is found amongst
those brought up in the country, than amongst Londoners.
There is no doubt that re-vaccination is advisable in all persons above the
age of 14 or 16, who do not present on their arms three or more satisfactory marks
of vaccination ; and if they are much exposed to the contagion, re-vaccination is
a wise precaution for all adults. All the nurses engaged at the Small Pox
Hospital, who have not had Small Pox, are vaccinated when they enter upon
their duties ; and there has not been one case of a nurse contracting the disease
since the Hospital was opened.
During the year 1866, 179 cases were sent to the Small Pox Hospital from
St. Pancras, of whom 16 died; ten of those who died were unvaccinated, and of
the other 6, four had only one indifferent vaccine scar each; one had two small
scars ; and in the other, vaccination was doubtful.
Of 70 cases in the Workhouse, between February 17th and April 24th, 1867, 55
were vaccinated, none of whom died, 15 were vaccinated, and 3 of these, or 20
per cent. died.

The number of deaths from the under-mentioned diseases, in St. Pancras and London respectively, were:—

LondonSt. Pancras
Diarrhœa3184206
Cholera5577112
Typhus and Typhoid Fevers (including deaths in Fever Hospital)2681170
Scarlatina1885124
Small Pox (including deaths in Hospital)138859
Hooping Cough2933211
Pulmonary diseases (including Phthisis)221931615
Phthisis alone9277741

The estimated population of St. Pancras was to that of London, in the pro-