View report page

24
ess than six went out to work, one girl being employed in a laundry,
two men in delivering laundry, and two men as motor drivers. In
addition a small boy attended a private school in the Borough. All
these persons had been more or less in contact with the patients
between 3rd October, when they first took ill, and 5th October.
Further contacts were a sister who had visited her on one occasion
and a daughter of the householder. Both these contacts lived in
another part of Fulham. Fortunately, the patients knowing that
they had been exposed to infection did not go outside the house from
the time they first felt ill. This was a very considerable help in
enabling us to check the spread of the disease. It was obvious,
however, that with so many workers engaged in such occupations as
motor driving and delivering laundry, the risk of spread was very
considerable. Under the circumstances, it was absolutely essential
that these people should be prohibited from going to work until the
quarantine period was over, and after consultation with the late
chairman of the Public Health Committee, we decided to pay the
workers full compensation for loss of wages during this period. All
the contacts were most helpful in every way, agreed to be vaccinated
at once, and were so vaccinated, and agreed to abide by all the
restrictions which I put upon their movements.
"I made arrangements that Inspector Grigg should visit the
house every morning, take any messages and do any shopping
required. Foodstuffs, etc., were left next door and taken in by
Inspector Grigg later in the day. I visited the house personally
every morning during the latter part of the quarantine period, and
upon satisfying myself that the contacts were in good health, they
were allowed to go for walks, but prohibited from entering shops,
public vehicles, or places of entertainment. I visited the school
attended by the boy, and circularised the parents of all children of
that school, advising them to be vaccinated. I further communicated
with the persons in charge of the various laundries and motor garage
concerned, advising vaccination of contacts.
"I am glad to be able to state that we can look upon this outbreak
as finished, no secondary cases having occurred.
"Unfortunately, the adult patient died in hospital."
Tuberculosis.—Three hundred and eighty-five new
cases of tuberculosis were notified during the year.
Of these, 272 were cases of tuberculosis of the respiratory
system, 5 were cases of disseminated tuberculosis,
and 108 cases of tuberculosis of other organs. This total
of 385 compares with a total of 360 during 1921, so
that there is a slight increase, which is accounted for
entirely by an increased number of notifications from
tuberculosis of other organs (108 as against 74 in 1921).
In Table IV, page 28, the notifications of tuberculosis