View report page

18
All rooms were also stripped and limewhited by the Surveyor's Department. In common
lodging houses this was done the same day that the patient was removed, even if this took place after
office hours, the men being at work sometimes till after midnight.
(5) Temporary Shelter or House Accommodation for Persons during the Disinfection
of their Rooms.
As soon as the first case of Small-pox was notified an empty house, 191, High Holborn,
belonging to the Council was prepared and furnished as a shelter for persons during the disinfection
of their rooms.
The family of the first case remained there for a fortnight, but the families generally only
remained at the shelter until the disinfection and stripping of the rooms was completed.
At first, food for the families was supplied by the St. Giles and Bloomsbury Guardian Board.
As soon as the Council had the opinion of the Local Government Board, dated the 22nd February,
1902, that it is competent to a Metropolitan Borough Council to supply the necessary food to any
inmate of a temporary shelter provided by them, the Council did this instead of the Guardian Board.
To the week ending the 28th December, 1901, the number of inmates was 111, of these
96 belonged to Bloomsbury and St. Giles, and 15 to the Holborn Sub-Division.
(6) Visits to Infected Houses Day by Day for a Fortnight so that any Person
who is ill can be Medically Examined in order to ascertain whether the Person has
contracted Small-pox.
(7) Information to the respective Medical Officers of Health of the Districts in
which Contacts with the Patient reside or work.
During the last three months of the year the work of carrying out these various preventative
measures occupied much of the time of the Public Health Department. Visits were also made on
the 17th day after the removal of a patient suffering from small-pox as an additional precaution.
CONFERENCE ON SMALL POX.
A Conference of Representatives of the Sanitary Authorities of the Metropolis, convened by the
Metropolitan Borough of Holborn, was held on the 7th February, at the offices of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board, on the Embankment, for the purpose of considering whether the measures at present
adopted in dealing with outbreaks of Small-pox can be in any way improved.
Mr. R. M. Hensley, Chairman of the Metropolitan Asylums Board, welcomed the delegates.
He reminded them of some of the figures contained in the report presented at a recent meeting of the
Metroplitan Asylums Board as proving the value of vaccination and re-vaccination.
Professor W. R. Smith was elected to the chair and Mr. Henry C. Jones, Town Clerk of the
Metropolitan Borough of Holborn, was appointed Clerk to the Conference and various resolutions were
afterwards proposed.
After considerable discussion the following resolutions, submitted on behalf of the Borough of
Holborn, were agreed to:—
(a) That, in the opinion of the Conference, the powers and duties at present vested in
Guardians of the Poor, with regard to vaccination and re-vaccination, should be transferred to,
and enforced by, Borough Councils.
(b) That, in the opinion of the Conference, an amendment of the law is necessary, to
ensure compulsory vaccination and re-vaccination of all persons (who have not been vaccinated
within five years) in a dwelling house wherein Small-pox has broken out.