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42
Continued Fever.
Four cases were notified under this description.
Small-pox.
A group of cases (11 in all) of Small-pox were
notified in April and May, the first of these being a
man aged 31 years. The only possible source of
infection was that the man, who was a shipping clerk,
had handled samples of foreign rags at his place of
business. His wife and three children were subsequently
notified but one child was speedily returned
home with a definite diagnosis that he was not suffering
from small-pox and the wife and other two children
detained only for a short period and then discharged
without any pronouncement as to whether they were
suffering from the disease or not.
This group of cases was followed by one in the
person of one of the Council's disinfectors who probably
contracted the disease from handling bedding,
etc., at the home of the other cases.
The next case was one notified in the person of a
child aged 5 years, but on admission to hospital was
found not to be suffering from small-pox and accordingly
returned home.
A very severe case of a hæmorrhagic type next
occurred in the person of a charwoman aged 57 years.
The patient died the morning following her admission
to hospital. Despite very extensive enquiries no trace
could be found of any possible source of infection.
Another case of mistaken diagnosis occurred in
the person of a baby aged 7 months, the child being
discharged from hospital very shortly after admission.
Two other cases were notified in the persons of a
man and wife who resided next door to the fatal case
above mentioned. If these people did suffer from the
disease, the obvious source of infection was the case
next door, the husband first contracting the disease