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22
previously as he had a severe headache and felt ill; he
had paid three pence and had received a week's supply
of medicine. The Clinical Assistant who prescribed
probably noticed the blue line at the edge of the man's
gums, and considering the headache to be caused by
the nature of his employment, accordingly he notified
the case to the Home Office as one of lead poisoning, and
hence my visit. Had the patient's temperature been
taken, it would have been obvious that he was suffering
from an acute disease, and not from chronic lead
poisoning. J. J. imformed me that he had visited the
hospital again that morning, where he saw another
young doctor who told him to keep at home as he had
chicken pox (I received a notification certificate to this
effect next day). Of course, I promptly got the man
removed, but, unfortunately, he had already infected
his father and his two brothers, one of whom subsequently
died of confluent small pox. To how many
other persons J.J. communicated this disease on his
two journeys to and from the hospital I have no means of
ascertaining. This man was in regular employment at
Waterlow's, earning good wages and living at home
with his parents, yet he went to a hospital as an outpatient
for what he considered to be a mere head ache.
Comment is superfluous.
SMALL-POX.
Deaths 8. (Decennial average 7.)
One hundred and twenty-six persons were reported
to be suffering from small-pox, all of these except one
were removed to hospital, ten patients were sent home
again after vaccination, as not suffering from small-pox;