Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health of the Borough of Hammersmith for the year 1902
This page requires JavaScript
39
patient, was removed from the house on July 17th, and
that she had been ill with the disease since July 8th. The
case was subsequently diagnosed as chicken-pox, and
notified to me as such on July 17th, the certificate, which
was dated 13th July, having been sent in error to Kensington,
and subsequently forwarded on to me by the Medical
Officer of Health for Kensington. The patient, Mrs. A—
L— J—, was therefore ill in the house for nine days suffering
from the disease before I obtained any information of the
case. It will be seen further on in this report that not only
did the husband of the patient contract the disease, but that
another and fatal case, that of L— B—, occurred at the
house. Both the case of G— J— and L— B— would most
probably not have occurred had the first case been diagnosed
and removed in the early stage of the disease. It is interesting
to compare the serious results that occurred in this
outbreak owing to the delay with what is the almost invariable
result, where a case is early diagnosed and removed
direct. The patient had been vaccinated in infancy, but
not since.
No. 85.—Case of H— C—, age 25, a house painter out of employment,
and residing in Blythe Road. On July 19th, the
patient had a blow on the eye from a cricket ball. On
July '24th he was admitted as an in-patient to the West
London Hospital. He was then suffering from acute
inflammation of the eye. On July 27th a rash appeared,
when the case was diagnosed as variola; and he was removed
the some day by the Metropolitan Asylums Board to
Rotherhithe. He had resided at the house for some years.
There had been no previous case of illness lately at the
house, and I was unable to obtain any information as to
how he had contracted the disease. He had been vaccinated
when a child, but not since.
No. 86.—Case of L— B—, age 30, of no occupation, residing in
Wharf Road. It appears that she was first taken ill on
July 24th. A rash appeared on July 28th. The case was
diagnosed as variola by the patient's private medical
attendant, and she died on the some day before he had
notified the case. She had resided at the house for about
four years. By reference to the case of A— L— J—, it
will be seen that there is strong reason for believing that
this patient contracted the disease from the patient A—
L— J—, who was ill in the some house suffering from the
disease from July 8th to July 17th. She had been vaccinated
when a child, but not since.