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SMALL POX.
( Deaths, 64. Decennial average, 2.)
The number of cases notified daring the year was 520, but thirtyfive
of the patients were sent back from hospital within a few hours
of removal as they were not suffering from small pox ; sixty-four
deaths were registered.
The epidemic commenced at the end of August, 1891, and continued
until the last case reported on September 16th, 1902. The
disease first broke out in Bethnal Green at the Salvation Army
shelter in Green Street, here a music hawker sickened and was
removed to hospital. On August 23rd, twelve days afterwards,
another inmate, also a music hawker, who had slept in the bed next
to the previous case of small pox, developed the disease and was
removed. We had no more cases until October, when one occurred
in Viaduct Street. This patient, a female, was promptly removed
and the disease did not spread. The next centre of infection was
an undiagnosed case in Virginia Road where a girl (who was supposed
by her medical attendant to be suffering from chicken pox)
was allowed to remain at home until convalescent, and subsequently
(whilst in the scabbing stage of the disease) resumed her usual
employment until I traced her and got her away to hospital. It
would be impossible to say how many persons she infected. The
next outbreak was at Father Jay's shelter in Old Nichol Street,
whence the infection was carried by another inmate to a common
lodging house in Whitechapel; with the exception of this one no
further case came to our knowledge from this source. I am sure
that Mr. Foot's vigilance and prompt action prevented a serious
outbreak here.
2