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20
Small Pox.
In my last report I referred to the increasing prevalence of
small pox in the eastern districts of London ; at this time the
disease could hardly be said to have invaded St. Paucras, as
but three cases of small pox became known to the Sanitary
Department during December, 1880, but in the following
month of January, 1881, this number was increased to' sixteen,
two of the infeeted persons dying in their own homes
in the parish.
In February, 1881, 23 cases were reported, and on the 16th
of that month, I pointed out to the Vestry that the Small Pox
Hospital at Highgate was the only institution in the Metropolis
to which the Vestry could send cases of small pox occurring
among persons who were not paupers, that the few beds
in this hospital were not solely at the disposal of the Vestry,
but were used by persons coming from all parts of the Metropolis,
and that, although the Vestry had formerly been able
to rely upon the Metropolitan Asylums Board for providing
hospital accommodation for the very poor, this Board's action
was so crippled by past and threateued legal proceedings that
it would not be safe to assume that they would be able to
receive into their hospitals as many patients as in the previous
epidemic; and I therefore recommended the Vestry upon
whom under these circumstances might fall the necessity of
providing for all classes of the community, that inasmuch as
arrangements for hospital accommodation for infectious
diseases cannot be made in a few days, they should take
measures for facilitating the provision of such accommodation
as might be found to be necessary. At the same time letters
were read to the Committee from the Metropolitan Asylums
Board, pointing out the position in which that Board was
placed, and from the Local Government Board urging the
Vestry to make the provision necessary for the epidemic.
The course of the epidemic can be seen by Table VIII.
During March the number of cases further increased to 47 ;
in April 101 fresh cases, occurring in all parts of the district,
were reported; during this month the Small Pox Hospital at
Highgate, as well as the Metropolitan Asylum Board Hospitals
were unable to receive any cases, and for a short period cases
of small pox were compelled for want of accommodation to
remain in their own homes. However, on April 29th, the
Vestry's hospital at Finchley was opened, and received nine
cases the same day. In the month of May 106 new cases were
reported, after which date the epidemic declined, and in