[Report 1870] / Medical Officer of Health, Birkenhead County Borough.

  • Birkenhead (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1870] / Medical Officer of Health, Birkenhead County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    IB extent to which Vaccination has been carried out, together with some favouring circumstances, more than promises, it may be even asserted, will ensure that the present epidemic will be far less fatal than on former occasions ; but, had the power of isolating all infected persons been conferred by the law and properly carried out, then the pest might have been soon stamped out and its dire results nearly altogether prevented. Table of Deaths from two former Small-Pox Epidemics. First Cases.! Years. Deaths. First Cases. Years. Deaths. 45 th week 1856 n 24th & 31st week 1863 34 » ^195 6th week. 1857 29 1864 1865 1858 1859 lj 1866 lj 1860 0 1867 0 1861 0 1868 0 1862 0 1869 1870 0 26th & 46th week 2 The above table shews the very serious results, even in the present day, of a Small Pox Epidemic, occurring, as it would seem to do, about once in six or seven years; the first one of 1857-58 annihilated 75 lives and burdened the community with 12 to 20 times that number of, more or less, alarming cases of illness. Taking the smaller propor- tion, however, as representing those with an element of danger, or temporary business inability, we arrive at the number of 900 serious illnesses coincident with the 75 deaths. Again, the epidemic , of 1863,1864, and 1865, gave far worse results, for the number of deaths was 195, and the seizures of the disease would considerably exceed 2,000. Who can tell the consequent affliction in the family, or rightly estimate the enormous pecuniary loss, such plagues inflict on the community ? The Remaining Zymotic Diseases. Continuing the examination of the latter Zymotic table, we further note that the two diseases, Fever and Diarrhoea, which are, perhaps, the steadiest test of sanitary effort, have shewn an almost
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