London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Bethnal Green 1870

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green]

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Appendix.
SMALL POX.
The present epidemic of Small Pox, which is now happily subsiding,
assumed its present type in London about the middle of last year, but did
not much engage public attention until October 8th, when the RegistrarGeneral
reported, in his weekly returns, that "tho number of deaths
registered last week from Small Pox was unusually large, namely 27;
9 of the fatal cases were returned from the Sub-District of Islington West,
8 of which occurred in the Small Pox Hospital between the 2nd and 8th
instant."
The disease continued to prevail, and in the first week of November it
carried off 23 persons; in the second week, 40; in the first week in
December, 60; and in the last week of 1870, 110. The increase still
went on until tho first week in May, when it reached its culminating
point, when no fewer than 288 deaths took place from this dire scourge.
Whilst the Metropolis generally was suffering, Bethnal Green remained
comparatively exempt up to the month of December, when the disease
commenced to show itself, with its characteristic virulcnce. The locality
first visited was that behind Shoreditch Church, including Old Nichol
Street and New and Half Nichol Streets, where its ravages were most
severely felt.
The outbreak of the disease in this neighbourhood entailed a large
amount of arduous work on the part not only of the Parochial
Medical Officer of the District, but also on the Sanitary Inspector, Mr.
W. W. Burrows, who had to visit each place where a case was reported,