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45
sufficient hospital accommodation to meet the demands made
upon them at the beginning of the outbreak. It was unfortunate
for this and probably other Boroughs that the workmen
were employed prior to re-vaccination.
The following precautions instituted in 1901 to prevent
the spread of the outbreak in Lewisham were adhered to in
nearly every particular:—
PRECAUTIONS INSTITUTED IN 1901.
The general precautious taken to prevent the spread of Small-Pox were as
follows:—
(а) Circulars were distributed in the district calling attention of the public to
the necessity of vaccination or re-vaccination.
(b) The names and addresses of Public Vaccinators appointed for each district
were appended.
(c) A special circular letter was sent to tradesmen advising the vaccination
or re-vaccination of their staff.
(d) Personal visits were made to large drapery establishments and arrangements
made for the visit of the Public Vaccinator.
(e) The whole staff of the Health Department was available at any hour,
including Sundays, which arrangement permitted the immediate removal of cases
and the subsequent disinfection of inlected premises.
(f) The ceilings, walls, floors, skirtings and furniture of all infected premises
were sprayed with a solution of Formalin (1 in 80) by the aid of specially conducted
force pumps. The walls were subsequently stripped.
(g) All articles of clothing, bedding and all textile fabrics, such as curtains,
carpets, etc., likely to retain infection were removed to the Council's central disinfection
station, and submitted to the action of superheated steam in the
disinfecting machine.
(h) Immediate notification of the case was sent to the Public Vaccinator.
(i) The Health Department kept a fresh supply of calf lymph in stock for the
use of Medical Practitioners requiring immediate supplies for the re-vaccination
of contacts—an arrangement which frequently secured immediate vaccination of
persons exposed to infection.
(j) All children from infected houses were prevented from attending schools.