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The Vestry at once appointed a Special Committee empowered to
take any steps they might think fit in relation to the threatened
epidemic, such as the provision of medical attendance and nursing,
and the supply of medicine and disinfectants. The Guardians of the
Fulham Union had promised to provide beds for 50 patients at the
Union Infirmary, and steps were also taken to obtain sites for the
erection of temporary Hospitals and shelters should they have been
required, The removal of patients was undertaken by the Managers
of the Metropolitan Asylums Board and arrangements were made by
them to establish Ambulance Stations, should the disease have appeared
in London in an epidemic form, at the Workhouse, Fulham Palace
Road; the Vestry Yard, Munster Road; the Vestry Yard, Trafalgar
House, Fulham Road; and the West Wharf, Wandsworth Bridge.
Fortunately, however, the disease obtained no real footing in England,
although cases were reported at some 30 different places, many of which
were in direct communication with Grimsby, where the most serious
outbreak occurred. In Fulham, five cases of Cholera were notified,
of these four were undoubtedly cases of the so-called English Cholera
and two of them proved fatal, both being children aged six and nine
respectively. The fifth case, that of a woman aged 54, occurred at
the Fulham Union and was notified on September 10th, the patient
dying on September 11th. The history of the case and the post-mortem
appearances were strongly suggestive of Asiatic Cholera, and Dr. Klein,
reporting on the specimen submitted to him, stated "that although the
microscopical character of the intestinal contents were not so typical
as in the Westminster case, the cultivations were positive and in every
respect characteristic of Asiatic Cholera." The woman had been an
inmate of the Union for some years and had not been outside for some
months, and recently had been engaged in washing there, so that
no light can be thrown on the origin of the disease. Besides this only
three cases of undoubted Asiatic Cholera are known to have occurred
in London, viz.:—
Case at Westminster Sept. 6th
„ Lambeth „ 12th
„ South wark ,, 26th
all proving fatal.