London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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etc., was of frequent occurrence and led to much dislocation of hospital regime.
Series of cases occurred also among employees of large firms and business houses
and a number of common lodging houses was effected.
It was noteworthy, however, that contrary to the experience in 1928, the vagrant
class was not specially involved.
As will be noted in the following table showing the notified cases which occurred during the year, the disease was most prevalent in the East end:—
| Metropolitan Borough. | Notified cases of Smallpox. | Metropolitan Borough. | Notified cases of Smallpox. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington | 3 | Shoreditch | 246 |
| Kensington | 5 | Bethnal Green | 262 |
| Hammersmith | 3 | Stepney | 489 |
| Fulham | – | Poplar | 158 |
| Chelsea | – | ||
| Westminster | 2 | ||
| Southwark | 153 | ||
| Bermondsey | 46 | ||
| St. Marylebone | 3 | Lambeth | 72 |
| Hampstead | – | Battersea | 2 |
| St. Pancras | 87 | Wandsworth | 15 |
| Islington | 70 | Camberwell | 117 |
| Stoke Newington | 6 | Deptford | 19 |
| Hackney | 58 | Greenwich | 1 |
| Lewisham | 8 | ||
| Woolwich | 5 | ||
| Holborn | 43 | Total | 1,908 |
| Finsbury | 32 | ||
| City of London | 3 | ||
No vaccinated child under 11 years of age contracted smallpox. The following table prepared by the Metropolitan Asylums Board, shows the vaccinal condition of 3.031 cases of smallpox admitted from the metropolitan and certain extra-metropolitan areas during 1929, together with the number of deaths:—
| Year of age of patient. | Vaccinated in infancy only. | Vaccinated and revaccinated. | No evidence of vaccination prior to infection. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases. | Deaths. | Cases. | Deaths. | Cases. | Deaths. | |
| 1–5 | – | – | – | – | 379 | 4 |
| 6–10 | – | – | – | – | 668 | 1 |
| 11–15 | 3 | – | – | – | 587 | 1 |
| 16–20 | 9 | – | – | – | 440 | – |
| 21–25 | 12 | – | – | – | 218 | – |
| 26–30 | 12 | – | – | – | 156 | – |
| 31–35 | 27 | – | 1 | – | 93 | – |
| 36–40 | 37 | – | 1 | – | 62 | 1 |
| 41–45 | 49 | 1 | 1 | – | 37 | 1 |
| 46–50 | 69 | – | 2 | – | 22 | – |
| 51–55 | 46 | – | – | – | 13 | – |
| 56–60 | 45 | – | 2 | – | 9 | – |
| 61–65 | 13 | – | 1 | – | 3 | – |
| 66–70 | 6 | – | – | – | 1 | – |
| 71–75 | 4 | – | – | – | 2 | – |
| 76–80 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 81–85 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 333 | 1 | 8 | – | 2,690 | 8 |
Of the 9 deaths referred to in the above table, 6 occurred among patients
from the administrative County of London. Particulars are as follow :—