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maintenance, and are, as such, sufficient to ensure the recipients
following out instructions as to necessary precautions, e.g., pre
venting such "contacts," as far as possible, from entering other
persons' houses, or any public institution (or meeting), under
penalty of forfeiting their monetary allowances. The quarantined
persons have been allowed to go about, and, under conditions
satisfactory to the Medical Officer, certain of them have been allowed
to continue at work during the whole or part of their period
of quarantine. Quarantining of "contacts" in a special building is
quite unnecessary, except as occasions may require for a few hours
whilst their houses (and clothing) are being disinfected; and for
this purpose the existing Refuges at Wanless Road and the Wharf
are ready to hand, though, fortunately, even these have only been
found necessary on two occasions. It has been found during the
epidemic that disinfection of houses by spraying is much more
quickly carried out than the old-fashioned method of sulphurfumigation,
and without it being necessary to turn the inmates of
such houses out. Whilst the infected room or rooms are under
sulphur, the other rooms in the houss can be used immediately
after, or even during the time that they are sprayed with formalin.
The vaccination and re-vaccination of "contacts" as required
has been advised, and ensured as far as possible, and all necessary
disinfection carried out.
In connection with quarantining, the Medical Officer communicated
with the Guardians, suggesting the need for quarantine and
isolation wards being provided for the Workhouses, so that persons
from unknown infected houses or areas might be quarantined for
14-16 days prior to being drafted into the House. The suggestion
was readily adopted by the Guardians, and special isolation build-
ings provided, and such a sieve or filter (together with the
other measures taken) has undoubtedly saved the House
from becoming infected. The Board of Guardians has
acted in complete harmony with the Borough Council —a condi-
tion of things highly satisfactory, and courteously allowed the
Borough Medical Officer an interview, at which many suggestions
for dealing with the epidemic of Smallpox were offered to the
Borough, and afterwards adopted in their entirety. The thanks
of the Borough Council are due to the Board of Guardians, and
will, I feel sure, be readily given.
Compensation paid to "Contacts."
The total compensation paid during the epidemic (12 months)
in connection with the quarantining of "contacts,"or "suspects,"
in Lambeth Borough amounts to the small sum of £53 8s
-such compensation being for loss of work, etc. When the num-
ber of "contacts" is borne in mind, the sum expended is practi-
cally infinitesimal (2½d. per person quarantined).