View report page

28
Notifications under the Provisions of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891. During the year 2,116 cases have been
notified under the above Act, as compared with 1,400, 2,613 and
2,820 respectively in the preceding years 1917, 1918 and 1919.
Small-Pox. Four cases of this disease occurred in the Borough
during the year. In one case, the patient, a seaman, seeking
admission to the Seamen's Hospital, was diagnosed to be suffering
from Small-Pox and immediately dealt with, the Authorities of the
district whence he came being informed. One other case occurred
in an in-patient in this Hospital, the source of infection being
untraced. His complaint was not diagnosed until a patient in
an adjoining bed was found to be suffering from some obscure
condition, which necessitated for its elucidation his being examined
by the various specialists of the Hospital, i.e., blood, ophthalmic
and skin, etc., it being decided that he was suffering from some
unknown specific poison. The Officers of this Council, as also of
the London County Council, were called in and it was immediately
recognised that the patient was suffering from Haemorrhagic SmallPox,
from which he succumbed shortly after. As he had been an
in-patient for some time, it became evident that his infection had
been contracted in the Hospital, and on inquiry and examination
the patient in the next bed was found to be an unrecognised case
of the miliary type. All necessary measures by means of disinfection,
isolation of the wards, vaccination of the whole staff and
other known contacts were immediately carried out, and it speaks
well for the efficiency of such measures when it is realised that
only one further case developed from this virulent centre of infection,
such case being in the person of the Ward Attendant, whose
duty it had been to evacuate and cleanse what were thought to be
Acne pustules on the original and infected patient. The effect
of the vaccination on this Ward Attendant was so satisfactory,
however, that he only suffered a very modified attack of the
disease.
Details respecting vaccination in the Borough are given in the
Supplemental Vaccination Reports on page 27.
Diphtheria. Three hundred and one cases of Diphtheria were
notified during the year, as compared with 364, 322, 240 and 275,
respectively, in the years 1916, 1917, 1918 and 1919. This distribution
of these cases was as follows :—147 in East Greenwich, 55 in
West Greenwich, 9 in St. Nicholas, 51 in Charlton and 39 in Kidbrooke.
Of this total number 275, were removed to the Hospital for
treatment, amongst which number the Hospital Authorities reported
that in 2 cases they considered the diagnosis incorrect.