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as to the names, ages, addresses, occupations, and places of occupation of
contacts, that observation of contacts from time to time could not be carried
out in the case of persons without fixed abode, or who may change their
residence without a moment's notice, that the personal cleansing and disinfection
of contacts and their clothing was avoided in some cases for various reasons,
that the disinfection of laundry linen was not carried out in laundries ; also that
the measures (D) for the isolation of small-pox patients were partly ineffectual,
and healthy persons working or living in the neighbourhood of a small-pox
Hospital carried the disease to their families or friends, and that infection
spread from the hospital to communities at a distance.
It became apparent that additional provisions are required for dealing with
contacts in the prevention of the spread of small-pox and upon these lines:—
(1) That it be declared an offence to refuse or withhold information or
give false information with respect to persons living in a house in
which small-pox has broken out, with regard to their names, employment,
or occupation, schools attended by their children, or as to any
person not living in such house but employed therein.
(2) That it be provided that any person inhabiting any part of a house in
which a case of small-pox breaks out, who knowingly associates with
other persons, without having his or her own person and clothes
cleansed and disinfected, be liable to a penalty.
(3) That in laundries the examining, sorting, or marking of dirty linen
be prohibited by the Home Office as dangerous, under the Factory
and Workshop Acts, until after it has been effectually disinfected by
boiling and washing in strong soap and water, or by some other
equally effectual means.
(4) That in common lodging houses and poor men's hotels, e.g., Rowton
Houses, &c., when small-pox breaks out inmates be prohibited from
leaving the house until after the expiration of a fortnight from the
date of removal of the patient, except to be removed to a small-pox
hospital or to a quarantine station. Provided that this prohibition
do not apply to inmates that submit to immediate disinfection and
cleansing of their clothing and person, and undertake to remain in
residence at the house during the above-mentioned period, and to
submit themselves to medical examination when required. Provided
also that the Sanitary Authority be empowered to make such compensation
as they may consider adequate to any inmates complying
with any requirements they may make.
(5) That small-pox hospitals be required by the Local Government Board
to provide an area of wider radius, free from workers and residents.
It may be said that such provisions are ideal, but so long as all the possible
measures for the prevention of small-pox remain unexhausted, so long will the
opposition to vaccination remain; and that if it can be proved that the
application of these ideally-complete measures of prevention fail in actual
practice, the stronger the case in favour of vaccination and revaccination
becomes.