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
East Ham 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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In the following table a comparison is given of the Attack Rates per 1,000 of population for the chief diseases in certain large aggregations of population:—
| Smallpox. | Typhus Fever. | Scarlet Fever. | Diphtheria. | Enteric Fever. | Puerperal Fever. | Erysipelas. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | ... | ... | 357 | 1.89 | 0.22 | 0.05 | 0.63 |
| England | ... | ... | 3.51 | 1.39 | 0.22 | 0.05 | 0.64 |
| Wales (including Monmouth). | ... | ... | 4.52 | 1.40 | 0.23 | 0.05 | 0.46 |
| London | ... | ... | 3.89 | 1.70 | 0.17 | 0.08 | 0.92 |
| County Borough of West Ham. | ... | ... | 4.10 | 1.48 | 0.25 | 0.04 | 0.85 |
| Administrative County of Essex. | ... | ... | 2.50 | 1.41 | 0.17 | 0.06 | 0.58 |
| East Ham | ... | ... | 3.69 | 1.81 | 0.13 | 0.06 | 0.83 |
Small Pox.
No cases of Small Pox were notified during the year. I again
feel it my duty to call attention to the increasing proportion of
unvaccinated infants in the Borough.
Although we have not had cases of the disease for some
years, when I hear of a ship having arrived in the Docks in close
proximity to the Borough which has had a case of Small Pox on
board, I dread to think of the consequences should the disease
get a footing.
Several ships arrived in the Docks during the year that had
had cases of Small Pox on board, and the names and addresses of
members of the crew and passengers who reside in the Borough
were notified to me by the Port of London Medical Officer, but in
no instance, fortunately, did any contact develop the disease.
An agreement still exists with West Ham Corporation
whereby, by an annual payment calculated on the estimated population
of the Borough, we are able, should any cases occur, to
send them to their Small Pox Hospital at Dagenham.