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which at present need not be entered into the Medical Officer did not
consider this was a case in which consideration might have been shown
by help from the Council to prevent the family becoming paupers.
"A letter was received from the Clerk to the Guardians which stated
inter alia that 'the Relieving Officer reports that he is informed the
children play in the recreation ground and the other members of the
family are in no way isolated."
"As stated above there is no power to isolate contacts and in the
opinion of the Medical Officer of Health a person who has been in contact
with a Small Pox case, and is immediately vaccinated or re-vaccinated
and has had his or her clothing disinfected, is absolutely of no danger to
the public. If there were danger to the public then all nurses in attendance
on Small Pox cases would have to be continually isolated and not
allowed to mix with the public or travel in public conveyances, etc.;
even the Medical Officer himself would have to be isolated, as he is in close
contact with patients and is engaged some time examining them, especially
when there is any doubt. However, for the information of the Committee,
the Medical Officer states that he, for the protection of the public, always
puts on an overall before going into the room occupied by a small Pox
patient (the overall after use is taken to the Station and disinfected), he
is also re-vaccinated from time to time as he finds he is susceptible to
vaccination which shews that he would be liable to contract Small Pox
if he were not re-vaccinated.
"As to the isolation and maintenance of contacts by the Council, it
will be remembered that during the last Small Pox epidemic of 1901—2,
in this Borough there was an attempt to carry out as thoroughly as possible
preventive measures in a practical maimer, according to the opinion of
the Royal Commission on the second question upon which the Commission
were requested to report. These measures were applied in detail by the
Public Health Department, but the Medical Officer of Health is of opinion,
from the experience then gained, that although the maintenance was
thoroughly carried out on the part of the Department the isolation of the
inmates was not satisfactorily effected as in some instances friends visited
the houses and numbers of the residents of the houses did not remain
isolated, for at night time many of them went out and in some cases visited
places of amusement.