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45
The Borough Council, on May 1st, 1902, voted a sum of £40 to
be distributed amongst the disinfecting staff for extra work done
during the first half of the epidemic, and doubtless the Council will
see fit to again vote some further sum for extra work done during
the second half of the epidemic. Such extra remuneration is well
deserved by the disinfecting staff.
4. Quarantining.
Without belittling in any way the three preventive measures,
which have already been dealt with, it cannot be too much emphasised
how very important it is to carefully quarantine all "suspects"
or "contacts." Smallpox is a disease that takes 12-14 days to incubate,
and it follows that, when Smallpox breaks out, all persons
who have been in contact with a Smallpox patient or patients must
be watched for 12-14 days (preferably 16 days) from the time
that such patient or patients have been removed to Hospital, and
the necessary disinfection carried out. Any "contact" who is not
efficiently protected by previous recent vaccination, may sicken
with the disease, and the necessity, therefore, of following up such
a person must be apparent to all. On the care with which this
quarantining, or watching of "contacts" or "suspects," is carried
out will depend largely the success of the preventive measures
taken in dealing with an outbreak of Smallpox. With one or two
cases of Smallpox nothing is easier, but as the cases of Smallpox
increase in numbers, the practical difficulties in the way of quarantining
increase proportionately.
These "contacts" have arisen in connection with cases of
Smallpox (1) in the Borough of Lambeth, or (2) elsewhere.
"Contacts" living in Lambeth have been watched for the incubation
period of 16 days by the Lambeth Inspectors, and outside
"contacts" watched by the officers of the Sanitary Authorities,
in whose districts such "contacts" eside, for a similar period.
So, too, "contacts" from other districts have, in the same way,
been watched during the 16 days' incubation period, and the
number of these outside "contacts" watched in Lambeth was
large, especially when the epidemic was in full swing throughout
London and the adjoining Counties.
A daily inter-communication of information re Smallpox
patients and "contacts" was started at the commencement of the
epidemic amongst the different Metropolitan Medical Officers of
Health, at the instigation of their Society, and these daily
returns were sent out from the office of the County
Medical Officer of Health, and have proved of the greatest value.
The telephone service has also been requisitioned enormously