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46
(hourly) during the epidemic, and many cases in this way have
been followed up at once, and prompt action taken. The Metropolitan
Asylums Board decided in the early days of the Epidemic
to send out daily returns to all Medical Officers in London re
discharges from, and deaths at, the Smallpox Hospitals, together
with the names and addresses of all visitors to the Smallpox
Hospitals.
The amount of work involved in carrying out systematically and
carefully this quarantining will best be gauged by the numbers of
persons dealt with in the Borough of Lambeth by your officials,
careful details of all quarantined persons having been tabulated
for this purpose by the Medical Officer of Health.
In connection with the 333 infected houses and the 404 cases
of Smallpox notified in Lambeth, a total of 4182 persons have
been watched and quarantined—3236 adults 10 years of age and
over, and 946 children under 10 years of age ; whilst in connection
with cases of Smallpox outside Lambeth, a total of 739 persons
have been watched and quarantined in Lambeth Borough, consisting
of 677 adults 10 years of age and over, and 62 children
under 10 years of age. In addition, 133 persons visited the
Smallpox Hospitals for the purpose of seeing their friends when
dangerously ill, and these 133 persons (all adults) were watched
and quarantined.
The total number quarantined during the epidemic in Lambeth
is, therefore, 5054 persons—4046 adults and 1008 children—
and to realise the numbers of visits paid, it must be remembered
that each " contact" was under observation for the usual quarantine
period of 16 days. Allowing for persons being out when
their homes were visited, and remembering that a quarantined
house generally contained several persons under observation, we
may fairly allow, as an average, 8 visits per person, making a total
(rough) of over 40,000 visits paid during the 12 months during
which the epidemic has lasted.
To show the value of this quarantining, out of the 5054 persons
watched, 141 (i.e., 2.8 per cent.) afterwards developed Smallpox,
and were at once removed to Hospital, and the usual disinfection
immediately carried out. In this way, these 114 fresh centres
were at once dealt with Had they been allowed to spread, a
large increase to the number of Lambeth cases would have, of
necessity, followed, whereas, by dealing promptly with them, no
single further case resulted from such sources. In this
way, the amount of work involved has been more than
justified. Of the 141 cases, 134 arose amongst the 4182