[Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, Bacup Borough.

  • Bacup (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, Bacup Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/42 (page 7)
    1 The common lod<i;in^-houses have been under special observation. Eveiy day the Chief Constable has had a report fr'om each lodginij-hon.se proprietor, whence the lodgers came and thoir destination. In nearly all former outbreaks wo have traced some of the cases to the tramp population. This year, however, is an exco|)tion. In my opinion, in times of epidemic Sniallpo.x, sanitary authori- ties ouwht to have the power to vaccinate all tramps who have been contacts, if not ellicicntl^' vaccinated within seven years. KE-VACCIXATION, if it were made compulsory on all children before leavino- school, would prove one of the jnost effective measures for stamping out the disease. In my e.xperience of over 27 3'ears, 1 have never seen a case of Smallpox in a person who had been successfully re-vaccinated within aiperiod of seven years. In the 47 cases which occurred in 19Ud and 1904, onl}' one was a per.son who had been re-vaccinated. This was done 30 3'ears ago, and it was a mild case. Scientific medicine, based on ])racti(!al expeiaence, pi'oves that in regard at least to Smallpox, we have in Vaccination the only certain preventive measures for stamping out one of the most infectious and loathsome diseases. The epidemics of Smallpox which have been so general in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and some other parts of this country are having an educational value on the public mind which will hasten legislation; so that this disea.se will never again have a foothold in this countiy. It is over 14 years since Lancashire had a 3’ear free from Smallpox. During the last three years there have been several severe outbreaks. VACCINATION. Through the kindness of Mr. A. A. Whitehead, Vaccination Officer, I am able to give the following statistics in regard to Vaccination in the Borough :— Deaths Vear Successful Vaccinations Exemption Certificates Births under 1 Year 1897 ... 285 ... — 542 lOu 1898 335 195 589 72 1899 ... 364 ... 114 ... 543 89 1900 314 ... 96 589 lOD 19U1 364 89 ... 485 69 1902 452 51 560 76 ims 494 59 ... 548 77 1904 ... 383 ... 68 ... 509 74