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hospitals is partly to be accounted for by the growing confidence of the people in the
treatment to be obtained at such institutions, and partly to the increased accommodation
at the disposal of the fever hospital authorities, and the decrease in the
amount of infectious disease in the parish. There were only a few instances in which
any delay in the removal of cases arose, and these were in the last quarter of the
year, there being some difficulty with regard to diphtheria cases, which, however,
only continued for about a fortnight.
SMALLPOX.
Throughout the year outbreaks of this disease were reported in different
parts of the country. In London it was most prevalent during the spring and
summer months. A severe outbreak occurred in Marylebone towards the end of July,
and there was also a serious outbreak at West Ham, adjoining the eastern boundary of
the Metropolitan area in the early part of the year. The total number of patients
certified as suffering from small-pox and removed from their homes to the wharves
for treatment on the hospital ships of the Metropolitan Asylums Board, according to
the report of the Ambulance Committee, amounted to 1,263. Of these, 155 were
returned to their homes as not, in the opinion of the medical officers, suffering from
small-pox.
In Shoreditch, cases were reported from time to time, up to the beginning of
November, since then none have been notified. There were 27 cases of small-pox
removed from Shoreditch to the hospital ships and treated there. Two cases were
returned as not suffering from small-pox. The type of the disease was mild, only two
deaths being recorded ; one of these was an infant nine days old, which was born whilst
its mother was suffering from the disease, and the other was a young woman aged 24,
a feather-curler, who probably contracted the disease at the place where she
worked. This young woman had been vaccinated in infancy. The case was
confluent and of the hæmorrhagic variety, and terminated fatally in five days.
Although the disease was introduced into the parish on several occasions, it did
not give rise to any great anxiety, except in one instance, and that was in the case of
a pawnbroker's shop, which became infected. A young man, an assistant in the business,
had an attack of mild small-pox which escaped observation and three other of his fellow
assistants became affected. These were also mild cases. Two of them had already gone
to their homes on account of illness, the remaining case I saw with the medical man
who had been called in, and the disease being recognised as small-pox, the patient was
at once removed to hospital. The business was closed for three days, and the whole of
the stock, consisting mainly of articles of clothing was removed and disinfected by the
Vestry's officials, and the premises thoroughly cleansed. No further cases were
notified in this parish. As the result of the persons going to their homes before it
was known what they were suffering from, some 8 or 9 cases occurred elsewhere.
The following is a brief summary of the cases of small-pox occurring in the
parish during the year 1894:—