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three daughters. This family were "anti-vaccinationists." The
first case was E. H., aged 8 (unvaccinated). She had been notified
as suffering from "chicken-pox," which indeed, it appeared to be.
But a week later when the medical man saw her again, he decided
that the disease was a mild case of small-pox. She was at once
removed, and as she had been lying in the room several days very
thorough disinfection was carried out, and I urgently pressed the
father to allow of revaccination of the other children and the mother,
even if he would not be vaccinated himself. He declined. As there
had been an error in respect to diagnosis, I determined to keep the
family under my own observation. I told the mother, therefore, to
let me know at once if any of the other children sickened with
illness of any kind. She apparently misapprehended me, for on
July 8th she took Mary, aged 9 (unvaccinated) to St. Bartholomew's
Hospital. The house physician consulted me about the case and
notified it as small-pox, and it went to Joyce Green. I repeated
my urgent advice to the father and mother respecting revaccination,
but they declined to allow of any vaccination. On Tuesday, July
12th, I found Catherine, aged 3 (unvaccinated), to be suffering
from small-pox, and moved her to hospital. She died there on
July 27th. On July 13th, the mother was removed with small-pox
from which she also died, on July 21st. The only members of the
family left were the father (vaccinated), a baby (unvaccinated), and
a girl of 14 who had been thoroughly vaccinated. Thus four cases
occurred in one family, two of whom died, all as the result, as far
as can be judged, of neglect of vaccination.
Case 12.—On Sunday, July 24th, at 9.45 p.m., I received notification
of a case of small-pox in the person of W. A. (male, aged
17), residing at 63, Wynyatt Street, vaccinated in infancy. The
patient was engaged at a large restaurant and eating-house in this
Borough as cashier; the actual source of infection could not be
traced in this case, but, having regard to the nature of his occupation,
it is possible that he contracted the disease through handling
money which had been previously handled by someone who was
infected with small-pox, which had been more or less prevalent in
the vicinity.