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

View report page

London County Council 1913

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

This page requires JavaScript

19
Report of the County Medical Officer—General.

During the complete years in which the notification of infectious diseases has been obligatory the number of cases of smallpox (uncorrected for errors in diagnosis) notified to the medical officers of health in the various sanitary districts comprised in the Administrative County has been as follows:—

Year.Cases of smallpox notified.Case-rate per 1,000 persons living.
1890600.014
18911140.027
18924250.100
18932,8150.653
18941,1930.274
18959800.223
18962250.050
18971040.023
1898330.007
1899290.006
1900860.019
19011,7000.375
19027,7961.683
19034160.091
19044890.107
1905740.016
1906310.007
190780.002
190840.001
1909210.005
191070.002
1911720.016
191260.001
191340.001

Smallpoxnotified
cases and
case rates.

It will be seen from the following table that in the quinquennium 1908-12 and in the year 1913 none of the under-mentioned towns had an appreciable death-rate from small-pox.

Town.1908-12.1913.Town.1908-12.1913.
London0.00a-Bradford--
Greater London0.00-Hull ..0.00-
Liverpool-0.00Newcastle-on-Tyne0.00-
Manchester0.00-Nottingham0.00-
Birmingham0.00-Stoke-on-Trent--
Sheffield0.00-Portsmouth-
Leeds-Salford
Bristol0.01-Leicester--
West Ham

Smallpox
death-rates
in large
English
towns.

The following table shows that, of the undermentioned towns, Petrograd alone had an appreciable death-rate from smallpox during the last six years:—

Town1908-121913.Town.1908-12.1913.
London0.00a-Stockholm-0.01
Paris0.000.00Petrograd0.130.02
Brussels0.000.00Berlin0.00-
Amsterdam--Vienna-
Copenhagen-New York0.00-

Smallpox
death-rates
in foreign
towns.
Of the four cases notified in London, one case only proved to be true small-pox, in the other
cases the diagnosis was not confirmed.
During the year suspicion as to the existence of smallpox was raised in 20 cases which came
under the notice of medical officers of health, and Dr. Wanklyn or Dr. Brincker consulted with the
medical practitioner and the borough medical officer of health with regard to the diagnosis in most
of the cases. In only one instance was the diagnosis of smallpox confirmed. This case was that of
a woman, aged 34, who was removed from premises in Poplar frequented by seamen. The source of
infection was not known. So far as could be ascertained there were 10 contacts, who were kept under
observation, and full particulars were circulated among the metropolitan borough councils and other
authorities concerned. The patient was subsequently discharged from the hospital cured.
Among the remaining cases, 10 proved to be chickenpox.
(a) See footnote (c), page 6.
23610 d 2
Smallpox
in London.