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

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Bethnal Green 1880

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

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10
Now, this very considerable increase was due to three diseases, Small
Pox, Scarlet Fever, and Diarrhoea. The first two diseases have'been
epidemic, and will be more particularly referred to. The Diarrhoea was
principally infantile, and was probably in a great measure owing to
improper feeding.
The total deaths from the group of Zymotic diseases were equal to
189.4 per thousand from all causes. In the subjoined Table is shown the
per centage of each on the total number of Zymotic deaths, including
hospital cases.

TABLE C.

London.Bethnal Green.
March Quarter27.327.0
June ,,19.418.9
September „21.322.7
December „20.923.0

SMALL POX.
(Decennial averaqe, 75.3).
405 cases of Small Pox were reported to us. Of these 20 died at their
own homes, 202 were removed to hospital, of whom 31 died, and 41
remained under treatment at the end of the year. Of the deaths in the
parish only two were certified as vaccinated. One was a child, aged two
years and six months, "stated to have been vaccinated," and the other,
aged two years and eleven months, "vaccinated 12 were unvaccinated,
seven of whom were under five years of age. In the remaining six cases
no information could be obtained as to the performance of the operation,
but none of them was younger than five years. As to the hospital
deaths, which form by far the larger proportion of our cases, I could
obtain no information on this point.
These numbers are much too small to base any statements upon them as
to the protective power of vaccination; but I think "beyond dispute that
careful and efficient infant vaccination, followed by equally efficient revaccination
at ten or twelve years of age, in the great majority of instances,
confers practical protection from Small Pox."—(lancet). Dr. Buchanan,
the Medical Officer of the Local Government Board, has written a
memorandum on the present prevalence of Small Pox in London, which