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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
Acton 1898
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Acton]
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10
NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
There were 234 notified, as against 221 in 1896.
The following table gives the number reported each year since the Act came into force:—
| 1890. | 1891. | 1892. | 1893. | 1894. | 1895. | 1896. | 1897. | 1898. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Pox | — | — | 13 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| Scarlet Fever | 108 | 63 | 74 | 192 | 86 | 67 | 193 | 93 | 167 |
| Diphtheria | 14 | 8 | 27 | 41 | 22 | 32 | 23 | 89 | 35 |
| Membranous Croup | 4 | — | 13 | 1 | — | — | — | 4 | — |
| Typhoid Fever | 13 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 15 | 28 | 14 | 10 | 9 |
| Continued Fever | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Puerperal Fever | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | 1 |
| Erysipelas | 22 | 18 | 37 | 77 | 41 | 31 | 26 | 25 | 22 |
| 162 | 102 | 180 | 340 | 167 | 161 | 259 | 221 | 234 |
SMALL-POX.
No cases have been notified since 1894, and no deaths have
occurred during the last fourteen years. "The Conscience Clause" has
practically reduced the Vaccination Act to a dead letter, and many
foresee a revival of the terrible scourge of small-pox.
The opinions arrived at by the majority of the Royal Commission
on vaccination I have summarised in the form of questions and
answers:—
Q. Has small-pox diminished since the introduction of vaccination ?
A. Yes!
Q. In those households attacked, does the disease differentiate
between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated members?
A. Yes ! The vaccinated escaped and the unvaccinated suffered
out of all proportion to their respective numbers.