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the disease fails to spread. If, on the other hand, the disease is
unrecognised, as in the case of the mother and her unvaccinated child
before mentioned, numerous secondary cases are sure to arise, and
infection is widely spread.
In every case of small-pox every care has been taken to make the
disinfection as complete and thorough as possible. In every case the
bedding has either been disinfected by steam at the disinfecting station
or destroyed by fire, in the latter event new bedding being supplied to
replace that destroyed. During the epidemic period new bedding has
been supplied in 20 instances at a cost to the Borough Council of
£71 7s. 2d.
In addition to the 47 cases occurring in the Borough, should be
mentioned 28 cases in the St. George's Workhouse and Infirmary,
which were notified in the first place to the Medical Officer of Health
of the City of Westminster. Thirteen of these cases occurred in
January, 10 in February, 2 in March, 2 in Juno, and 1 in July.
The Chelsea Workhouse, Infirmary, and Casual Wards have been
entirely free from small-pox during the whole period of the epidemic.
Vaccination.—In addition to the vaccination and re-vaccination of
contacts in small-pox invaded houses, which was carried out by the
Public Yaccinators at the request of the Public Health Committee,
Dr. Foster Palmer, the Public Yaccinator for the Borough, was
requested by the Committee in October, 1901, to examine the arms of
children in the Voluntary and Board Schools in the Borough, with a
view to the detection of unvaccinated children, and the re-vacoination
of children, primarily vaccinated, over 10 years of age. The instructions
of the Committee to Dr. Foster Palmer were to offer re-vaccination to
all children over 10 years, attending schools in the Borough, whether
or not residing within the Borough, and also to offer re-vaccination to
all employees in shops, workshops, and factories in the Borough, who
had not been vaccinated within 10 years previously, whose homes were
outside the Borough. The Committee very rightly considered that if
distinctions were made in the Chelsea schools, shops, and workshops,
between those who resided in the Borough and those who did not, very
considerable numbers would fail to become protected, and the security
of the public would be thereby endangered.
In the Voluntary Schools in the Borough, Dr. Foster Palmer
examined the arms of 3561 children, and in the Board Schools of 3218
children. The comparatively small number of Board School children
examined, was, no doubt, the result of the School Board circular issued
to the parents allowing them to prohibit the examination of their
children's arms in the schools.
About 500 persons, not strictly eligible for gratuitous vaccination
or re-vaccination, were vaccinated by Dr. Foster Palmer in the course
of the epidemic, in accordance with the instructions of the Public
Health Committee, the large majority of these being children or shop
employees attending schools or shops in the Borough, but residing
outside the Borough boundaries.