HC Deb 14 May 1885 vol 298 cc482-3
MR. HOP WOOD

asked the President of the Local Government Board, Whether he is aware that, by a house-to-house visitation of 15,000 houses in West Ham, instituted by Dr. Kennedy, the local officer of health, it has been ascertained that the inhabitants are vaccinated in number up to the average of the Metropolis, and to the extent of ninety-eight per cent.; whether the rate of mortality from small pox is, in the last Registrar General's Return—

Per Million.
For London (including its outer ring) 1,320
For West Ham alone (included in above.) 5,132;

whether small pox is usually most frequent in quarters of the town otherwise unhealthy; and, whether he will make inquiry in this case into the existence of insanitary defects in sewers, &c. of which the inhabitants complain, and apply effective remedies to this zymotic epidemic?

COLONEL MAKINS

asked whether the house-to-house visitation was not an informal one?

MR. GEORGE RUSSELL

I am not able to answer on that point. The answer to the first part of my hon. and learned Friend's Question is in the affirmative; but the recent Returns of the number of children vaccinated have been comparatively unsatisfactory. During the past six months, 105 deaths from small-pox have occurred in the Guardians' Hospital at Plaistow; and out of this number 76 were found to be unvaccinated, 21 imperfectly vaccinated, eight vaccinated, and none re-vaccinated. According to the Return of the Registrar General for the week ended 2nd of May, there were 23 deaths in the West Ham district, 19 of which were local cases; and in London, including the Outer Ring, there were, inclusive of 16 deaths of London residents in hospital outside London, 78 deaths. Smallpox is not usually most frequent in quarters of a town otherwise unhealthy, except in so far as the unhealthiness may be synonymous with overcrowding and want of isolation. Dr. de Chaumont recently visited West Ham, and has reported to the Board as follows:— The local system of sewers and drains is said to be well carried out as a whole; but the district appears to be increasing at a rate that will probably overtax the system as at present arranged. We will look into this matter.