London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Wimbledon 1896

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]

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5
weeks; and compensation was paid them for the time they
were kept from their employment, and also for all the bedding
and clothing which was destroyed. Thanks to the prompt and
energetic steps taken, the disease was prevented from spreading.
The other case was that of a young man who was employed
as a shipping clerk at Gravesend, where he probably
contracted the disease, which was of a very mild form; he
had been previously vaccinated, and was isolated in his
home ; and—as in the other case—every precaution was taken
against the spread of the disease.
I should like here to say that it has been my experience
that all unvaccinated cases of small-pox which have come
under my notice have been very severe, and generally fatal,
while the vaccinated cases have been usually of a mild form.
Scarlet This disease has been present during the whole of the year;
the greater number of cases occurred in May, October, November
and December (see Table 2), when 73 cases were notified.
The total number of cases notified was 124; of which 76
were treated in the Infectious Diseases Hospital, and the
remainder in their own homes.
There were two deaths from this disease during the year;
one at the Hospital, and the other at the patient's home.
An outbreak occurred among the scholars of Haydon's
Road Infants' and Girls' Schools in October, when I considered
it was desirable that these schools should be closed
for a period and disinfected.
As in previous years, we have sorely felt the want of
adequate Hospital accommodation. Several cases of scarlet
fever had to be refused admission, and there is no provision
for the treatment of diphtheria cases at all.
There is no doubt that isolation in the smaller houses is
a matter of impossibility; and this disease will never be