View report page

29
SMALL-POX.
The day population, i.e., the number of persons residing, occupied, or
employed in the City during the active hours of the day in the middle of the
year 1902 was estimated at 359,940.
As it would have been obviously impossible with the resources at our
disposal to have ensured the re-vaccination of such a large number of persons,
a circular letter was sent to all firms in the City carrying on the following
businesses:—
Banks, Insurance Offices, Railway Companies, Forwarding Agents,
Envelope Addressers, Hotels, Laundries, Restaurant and Dining
Rooms, Clothiers, Drapers, Haberdashers, Glovers, Lithographers,
Dealers and Manufacturers of dresses, fancy goods, leather goods,
laces, linen, &c.
The issue of this letter resulted in the vaccination or re-vaccination of
nearly 45,000 persons, or about 15 per cent. of the day population.
The actual number of persons engaged in the City who were re-vaccinated
during the epidemic is, of course, an unknown quantity, but it must have
reached far higher figures, four times as many would probably be a low
estimate.
In view of the fact that we have a day population approaching 360,000,
in intimate association with a resident (night) population of upwards of
26.000, it is remarkable that the number of cases notified in the City was so
small, there having been only 44 in all, of which, in eight instances, or 18.2
per cent., the diagnoses were subsequently found to be incorrect.
Another adverse influence with which we had to contend with was the
presence in our midst of St. Bartholomew's, one of the largest public
hospitals in London.
From this institution alone no less than 37 cases of Small-pox were
removed, none of which had any connection with the City, all being outpatients
who belonged to outside districts.
The comparative immunity from the disease observed in the City was doubtless
largely due to the re-vaccination crusade, referred to above, instituted in
the early stages of the epidemic, and the following figures are an indication
of the labour involved and the thoroughness with which this undertaking
was prosecuted.