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exposed to infection, but I ascertained that he worked at Messrs.
Waterlow's, and that several of his "mates" had been away ill.
On the 3rd of March another young follow, aged 19 years, was
removed from Turin Street. He also was one of Messrs. Waterlow's
hands. On the same day another employe of that firm,
aged 18, was removed from a house in Prince's Court suffering
from the same disease; and ten days afterwards his three sisters,
aged respectively 16, 13, and 9 were attacked. They were
removed on the 12th of March. On the 15th the disease appeared
in a family in Quinn's Buildings,—a young girl was attacked and
removed to hospital, her "young man " worked at Messrs. Waterlow's.
From this family the disease spread to some relations in
Poplar who had visited the sick girl; but I heard of no more cases
in Bethnal Green till April the 7th, when a girl, aged 14, was
removed from Cheshire Street, and on April 25th, a man, aged 30,
was removed from Bacon Street. I failed to trace the source of
infection in both these cases. The 11 cases of Small Pox reported
occurred in eight houses; in two of these the sanitary arrangements
were fairly satisfactory, but in all the others there were
grave defects, and three of the houses were in a very bad state
indeed.
I feared at this time we were about to have a serious epidemic,
and I still think that had not the infected persons been promptly
removed we should have experienced one.
Manufactories and schools undoubtedly assist in spreading
infectious disease; but for my part I do not see why the plan now
adopted at all large public schools should not be extended to
board schools and factories, and the production of a certificate of
freedom from infection be made compulsory on all persons returning
to school or work after temporary absence.
SCARLET FEVER.
(Decennial average 91.0)
The number of cases of Scarlet Fever reported to us during the
year was 282 against 266 last year. The disease caused 120
deaths, exactly double the mortality of 1887, which was itself