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

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Hammersmith 1902

Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health of the Borough of Hammersmith for the year 1902

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36
chicken-pox, and notified to me as such on June 24th. I
visited the patient on the some day, and again on June 25th.
On the latter day I diagnosed the disease as variola, and
had the patient forthwith removed by the Metropolitan
Asylums Board to Rotherhithe. He had resided at the
house for five months. No case of illness had lately occurred
at the house, and no evidence was obtained as to how he
had contracted the disease. He had been vaccinated when
a child, but not since.
No. 79.—Case of C— S—, age 17. a laundryman, employed at his
mother's laundry in Wharf Road, and residing at the some
address. He was first taken ill on June 19th. A rash
appeared on June 20th. The case was diagnosed as
chicken-pox, and notified to me as such on June 24th. I
visited the patient on the some day, and again on June 25th,
and on the latter day I diagnosed the disease as variola,
and had the patient forthwith removed by the Metropolitan
Asylums Board to Rotherhithe. He had resided at the
house for five months. No case of illness had lately occurred
at the house, and no evidence was obtained as to how hehad
contracted the disease. He had been vaccinated when
a child, but not since. As both this patient and his brother
(case No. 78) were employed in laundry work, they, most
probably, contracted the disease from infected clothes
brought to the premises to be washed. The large proportion
of cases of small-pox that occur among persons employed
at laundries calls for special legislation on the
subject. It should be a penal offence to employ anyone
at a laundry who has not been vaccinated within a period
of seven years. Persons who are specially exposed to.
special danger ought to be protected by special means.
A large number of lives could have been saved in the present
outbreak of the disease in London if such an enactment had
existed. My reports have given many instances
of the disease having occurred among persons employed
in laundries.
No. 80.—Case of W— L—, age 26, a chemist's assistant, employed
at Clerkenwell Road, and residing in Minford Gardens.
He was first taken ill on June 23rd. A rash appeared on
June 25th. The case was diagnosed as variola by the
patient's private medical attendant on June 27th, and
removed the some day by the Metropolitan Asylums Board
to Rotherhithe. He had resided at the house since June
4th. He had previously resided at No. 5, Portland Road,
Notting Hill. There had been no previous case of illness