London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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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
Bethnal Green 1878
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green]
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vehemently maintain that the patient has been vaccinated.
The following table shews the age distribution of the fatal cases in this parish.
TABLE G.
| Age:— | Under three months. | 0-1 | 1—2 | 2—5 | 5—15 | 15—25 | 25—40 | Over 40 | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not stated | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| Vaccinated | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Not Vaccinated | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Totals | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 22 |
I cannot refrain from asserting that it is my opinion
that our comparative immunity from Small Pox is
owing to the well known efficiency of our public
Vaccinators, Messrs. Smart and Welch; for though
undoubtedly numbers of cases pass through the hands
of private practitioners, yet in the great majority of
instances these two gentlemen perform the operation,
and for this reason, combined with the energetic manner
in which our Vaccination Officer, Mr. Winter, discovers
and brings to book defaulters, we have fewer cases of
Small Pox than might be expected.
Isolation, too, has been pretty thoroughly carried out,
the greater portion of the cases having been removed
almost as soon as discovered. Unfortunately, however, in
Hope Street, one or two persons declined to submit to
removal, with the result of rapidly spreading the
disease to the neighbouring houses. I regret to say