Preventive medicine : statistics of small-pox and vaccination in the United Kingdom, and the necessity for a better system of vaccination in Ireland : read at the meeting of the British Association, (Section F) Aberdeen / by William Moore.

  • Moore, William.
Date:
1859
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Preventive medicine : statistics of small-pox and vaccination in the United Kingdom, and the necessity for a better system of vaccination in Ireland : read at the meeting of the British Association, (Section F) Aberdeen / by William Moore. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    lived to 80 years of age, tlie annual death rate in every 100,000 woidd be 1,250; the number actually dying are 2,266. Now, from Dr. Greenhow* and Mr. Simon’st valuable reports, we find that in some parts of England, at least 1,000,000 are living on such terms that their death-rate ranges from 1,500 to 1,700 annually. Assuming, therefore, that the difference between 1,250 per 100,000, and 1,700 per 100,000, the former the theore- tical the latter the actual rate, represents the effects of non-pre- ventible causes tending to shorten life, we miist conclude that all deaths above 1,700 in 100,000 are due to causes which may be looked upon as artificial and removable. In the year 1857, looking at the matter in this light, there was an avoidable loss of 91,856 lives, 420,019 persons having died in England and Wales, whereas, if the death-rate had stood uniformly at 1,700 per 100,000, the numbers would have been only 328,163. According to the Registrar-General’s Report, De- cember, 1858, the popidation of England and Wales in the middle of that year did not exceed 19,576,950, and at the rates of comparatively healthy districts (63) the deaths in the year should not have exceeded 349,398 : the actual mortality amoimted to 450,018, and the excess of 100,620 deaths is due chiefly to the fatal neglect of the sanitary arrangements which are required in every district, and are indispensable in cities. Of these 100,620 preventible deaths, about 69,730 happened in large town districts, and 30,890 in the rest of the kingdom. “ This is a sad reckon- ing, but it is an under statement of the facts. ” According to Dr. Greenhow’s calculations the following amiual local deaths are wholly preventible under good sanitary arrange- ments, viz. :— Cholera, from - - - 0 to 403. Diarrhoea and dysentery, from 4 to 345. Continued, fever from - 21 to 209. SmaU-pox, from - - 0 to 146. Amongst the annual deaths from diseases in some degree inevi- table but capable of diminution, and controllable by sanitary measures, are the following :— Common infectious disorders of childhood, from 694 to 2,149 Convulsive disorders of infancy, from - - 280 to 3.832 Pulmonary affections in infancy, from - - 213 to 2,897 * On tlie sanitary state of the peoi>le of England, communicated to the Ge- neral Board of Health hy Dr. Edward Headlam Greenhow. London, 1858. t Mr. Simon's prefatory report. Avoidable loss of life, 1807 and 1858. Diseases capable of prevention. of diminu- tion.