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the epidemic has been at the rate of 18.0 per cent.
This is an unusually high proportion ; for, according
to the statistics of the Small-pox Hospital, the deathrate
ordinarily ranges from 12.9 per cent. (1864), to
17 per cent. (1863),—the average for many years
being only 14.3 percent.
The force of the epidemic may also be estimated
by the number of deaths from the disease among
the general population of London and the City. In
all England during the last 20 years, the averago
mortality from small-pox has been only 1.9 per
10,000 of the population; and in London during
the last 10 years it has been 2.9 per 10,000, and in
the City l.6; whereas in the year 1871 it amounted
to 24 per 10,000 of the population of London, and
11.5 per 10,000 of the City—the range being from
4.3 per 10,000 of the Western district, to 21.1 of
the Eastern. Although, therefore, the mortality
from small-pox in the City has been large, it has not
been so large as in the rest of the metropolis.
It may be interesting to know that, according to
Sir Gilbert Blane, the average mortality from smallpox
in England before vaccination was adopted, was
30 per 10,000 of the population. From 1838 to
1840, when it was much practised, but before any
public vaccinators had been appointed, it was 7.7