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29
painful circumstance to visit the dwellings of the poor; the
dirty houses, the dirty floors, the dirty beds, and heaps of dirty
clothes are too often met with. And when this is the case,
the parents and the family dependent upon them will surely
suffer, even to their lives.
In the spring of the year, as the Small Pox was prevalent,
the handbills were posted up throughout the Parish. The Small
Pox has been very prevalent throughout the Metropolis during
the last few years. In 18G6 it caused 1388 deaths. In Clerkenwell
it caused 6 deaths. One also took place in the Small
Pox Hospital, among 33 sent from this district. In my opinion,
the want of Vaccination is not the cause of the great prevalence
of this disease, but the overcrowding. Neglect of vaccination
will ensure a large mortality, for it must be a very debilitated
person who dies from Small Pox after vaccination.
The law regarding vaccination is practically inoperative,
because to obtain conviction it must be proved that the parent
or guardian of the unvaccinated person has received a notice
from the District Registrar; and this is very difficult to
accomplish. As the law is about to be amended, it is hoped
this difficulty will be abolished. Surely the 33 persons sent to
the Small Pox Hospital must mostly have been vaccinated,
otherwise the mortality would have amounted to more than
one death.
To express the point briefly, I should say that the overcrowding
causes the spread of the disease, and the neglect of
vaccination causes the mortality.
The deaths from Typhus (47) were nearly the same as in
the preceding year (48). During the year, 67 cases were sent to
the Fever Hospital, 4 deaths taking place; in the preceding
year the cases sent away were 58, with 5 deaths.
In looking over the localities where the cases of Typhus
have occurred we recognize some old faces—Bitt Alley (3),
Rose Alley (4), and Broad Yard (13 cases).
The mortality of the year was raised by the prevalence,
in an epidemic form, of a disease which fortunately but rarely
visits us; I mean the Cholera. In my preceding Report, for
1865, I remarked that "The occurrence of a few cases of Cholera
at Southampton and Epping, in the Autumn, produced some
alarm, lest the disease should reach the Metropolis and this
Parish."