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9
Small Pox. The difference 0.6 per cent. is too small to take
much notice of either way.
The total number of deaths from Small Pox in London was
7876, or about 2.4 per 1000, whilst in Hackney 400 deaths of
residents occurred in a population calculated in July 1st, 1871,
to have been 126,126, or at the rate of 3.1 per 1000. This is a
very large proportion of deaths, but looking at the unusually
large number of non-vaccinated cases admitted to the Hospital,
is not larger than might have been expected, especially when
we consider the mortality from this disease in Shoreditch and
Bethnal Green. In Shoreditch with a population of 127,160 or
only 1034 above that of this district, there were 439 deaths
registered, which with 85 deaths in the Homerton Hospitals of
residents of that parish, make a total of 524 deaths. In Bethnal
Green with a population of 120,200, there were 375 deaths
registered in the parish and no less than 129 in the Small Pox
Hospitals, making a total of 504 deaths, or more than 25 per cent.
above our mortality, although our population was larger than
theirs. This may to a certain extent be accounted for by the
very large proportion of deaths which occurred in the hospitals
as compared with those at private residences, for no less than
159 deaths out of the whole 400 happened in the Homerton,
Guardians', and Gladstone's Hospitals, viz., 121 in the first, 30
in the second, and 8 in the last. There is no doubt that if as
large a proportion of cases had been removed from their homes
at the outbreak of the epidemic as after the opening of the Small
Pox Hospitals, there would not have been so many cases or
deaths. A table shewing the deaths in the public Institutions
and the district generally, for each month in the year will be
found in the appendix, also the number of deaths for each of the
surrounding parishes or districts.