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Order 1.—Miasmatic.
Small-pox.—No deaths were registered from this disease in the
District during the year, but 13 parishioners died from it in hospitals
belonging to the managers of the Metropolitan Asylums District
Board, and must be credited to us, viz., 10 at Fulham and 3 at
Hampstead.
These, with 4 for 1876, and 14 for 1877, make up a total of
31 deaths for St. Giles District, from the commencement of the epidemic,
in 1876, to this date.
This fatality is comparatively light, considering the density of the
population in many parts of the District.
During the 3 years this disease has at no time been endemic
with us, but has appeared from time to time in various parts of the
3 Sub-Districts.
The speedy removal of infected patients to the small-pox hospitals
undoubtedly prevented the spread of the disease, so that it never
became epidemic in the District.
As to the hospital accommodation for non-pauper cases, I entirely
concur with the opinions of the Limehouse and other District Boards
and Vestries, as expressed in their memorial, viz., "That the most
practical way of overcoming the difficulty in providing hospital
accommodation for non-pauper cases in each District would be for
the Metropolitan Asylums District Board, who already have the
necessary staff and appliances, to make arrangements, upon the
request of the sanitary authorities, to receive any person not in
receipt of parish relief, whom the sanitary authorities might require
to have removed to hospital, and that the Asylums Board should
provide a separate department for the accommodation of such cases,
so that they can be kept distinct from pauper cases."
Considering the severity and long continuance of the present
epidemic, it is to be regretted that the Local Government Board
refused the inquiry suggested by the managers of the Metropolitan
Asylum District Board "into the causes and conditions which
protract the present epidemic of small-pox," for undoubtedly much
information might have been obtained about "Vaccination "Revaccination,"
"Hospital Accommodation," and "Removal by Ambulances,"
&c., &c., which would be invaluable to local authorities and
their officers in their endeavour to arrest the spread of infectious
diseases.
The following table respecting vaccination in St. Giles District
has been supplied to me with the usual courtesy by Mr. Yardley, the
vaccination officer appointed by the Guardians:—
c