View report page

32
The next cases came in two groups.
First Group (Case 8).— On Monday, July 4th, I received a
notification of a case of small-pox in the person of S. A. P. (male,
aged 26), lodging at 31, Norman's Buildings. His illness commenced
on June 25th, and on June 27th he went to St.
Bartholomew's Hospital, where, after examination, he was told to
return next day. This he failed to do. On June 29th other
symptoms occurred, and on July 2nd the rash appeared, On July
3rd (Sunday) he again went to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and
was then found to be suffering from small-pox and was accordingly
notified. He had not been vaccinated since infancy. He was
removed direct to the small-pox hospitals at Joyce Green, and I
received the notification on Monday morning. I at once visited 31,
Norman's Buildings, and made the usual enquiries and arranged
for disinfection. The information which we were able to obtain
(in the absence of the patient) was very meagre. But we gathered
that this man was a travelling compositor, and had been living in
various lodging-houses and working in various printing works.
On visiting one of these printing works in Goswell Road, we
learned that S. A. P. had worked there about a fortnight before,
but that all the employees were well and there had been no illness.
On pursuing the matter further, however, and pressing the point,
six men, out of some twenty employed, were brought to me. After
examination I found that the first was suffering from toothache and
neuralgia; the second and third were suffering from small-pox
(B. L and S. W. B.) in the acute stage; the fourth was recovering
from small-pox (E. P.); the fifth was affected with a minor skin
disease on the face; and the sixth (H. W.), a friend of S. W. B.,
was suffering from what might be the premonitory symptoms of
small-pox. B. L. lived at Edmonton and S. W. B. in Stepney. I
notified them both and removed them direct to the small-pox
hospital at Joyce Green, informing the authorities of the two
districts. Following the ordinary course, these cases will be
allocated to the districts in which they reside. They were suffering
from modified small-pox, having been vaccinated in infancy, were
in the acute stage and very infectious, and had been at work and
moving about London with the disease full out upon them. E. P