London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Poplar 1913

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar, Metropolitan Borough]

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Glaucus Street Shelters, Food60111¼
Ditto Washing1652¾
Ditto Periodicals203
Lime, etc., for cleansing infected houses19133½
£1,512163¼

"The amount of £1,512 16s. 3¼d. was allowed by the Local Government
Board after some correspondence.
"There were 410 infected premises, and entire maintenance, etc.,
was carried out in 224 houses. With the other cases where isolation was
not observed, daily observation was kept upon the premises.
"The above amounts do not include any expenditure for Gear, Tools
and Overalls used in the cleansing of infected houses.
"Wages of any description are not included.
The cost of fitting up and furnishing the two Shelters is not included.
''If isolation without vaccination is carried out it means shutting up
the occupants of the houses for fourteen days, then if another case of
Small Pox occurs at the expiration of that period it means shutting them
up for a further period of fourteen days, and if a third case occurs then
another fourteen days must elapse before the occupants can be freed from
isolation, and so on. The Medical Officer of Health can call to mind that
during the epidemic of 1901—2, cases of Small Pox occurred again and
again in this manner, necessitating the occupants of some of the houses
being isolated and maintained for over two months.
"For the information of the Committee, the following words in
italics formed the question upon which the Royal Commission were
requested to report, and those in inverted commas are some answers
to that question, viz.:—
"What means, other than vaccination, can be used for diminishing
the prevalence of Small Pox; and how far such means can be relied on
in place of vaccination?'
'We have no difficulty in answering the question, What means
other than vaccination can be used for diminishing the prevalence
of Small Pox ? We think that a complete system of notification
of the disease, accompanied by an immediate hospital isolation of
the persons attacked, together with a careful supervision, or if
possible isolation for sixteen days of those who had been in
immediate contact with them, could not but be of a very high value
in diminishing the prevalence of Small Pox (499).