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proposal they may make as to assistance to public vaccinators and vaccination officers. Copies
of the memorandum referred to were enclosed.
On the 23rd September, 1901, the London School Board resolved—
That facilities be given to the public vaccination officers of the metropolis, on the application of the
proper local authority, to enter the schools of the Board, in infected areas, for the purpose of examining
the arms of the children, with a view to advising the parents to allow their children to be vaccinated,
provided that the School Board issue a circular to the parents asking if they have any objection to this
examination, and in case of such objection in any particular case, that such examination shall not take
place; and that the Local Government Board and the public vaccination officers be informed
accordingly.
A number of the reports of medical officers of health show the steps taken in their districts
to limit the spread of smallpox. In some districts these included an inspection of children in
schools with a view to ascertaining whether they had been vaccinated. Thus the annual reports
show that children in schools were inspected in Kensington, Chelsea, Hackney, Holborn, Finsbury,
City, Greenwich, and Woolwich. Some of the reports show the proportion of children whose
parents refused to allow them to be inspected and the proportion of children examined who
were found to be unvaccinated. Thus, in Hackney 12,890 children were inspected and 28 per
cent, found to be unvaccinated; while the parents of 48 per cent, of the children attending
the schools refused to allow tlieni to be inspected. In Holborn 2,657 children were inspected, of
whom 21.4 per cent, were found to be unvaccinated. In Finsbury children in 16 schools were
examined. The number of children on the rolls of these schools was 15,652, and 16.7 per cent.
of the children examined were found to be unvaccinated. In the City 1,809 children in the
ward and parochial schools were inspected, and 16.6 per cent. found to be unvaccinated; in the
Board schools 1,341 children were examined, and 7 per cent. found "unprotected"; the number
of refusals of the parents of children in the Board schools being 600. In Greenwich 7,761 children
were inspected, and 9.2 per cent. presented no evidence of vaccination; the number of refusals
being 5,139. The medical officer of health of Woolwich states that 525 children in the Board
schools were without satisfactory marks of vaccination. In Islington children in schools
were inspected in like manner. The effect of the examination of school children is stated in
a few reports. In Holborn, of the 568 children found unvaccinated 398 were successfully
vaccinated. Of the unvaccinated children in the ward and parochial schools 354 were vaccinated.
In Woolwich the majority of the children found without satisfactory marks of vaccination were
vaccinated. In Islington 1,866 children were vaccinated as the result of these inspections.
Throughout London generally there was considerable resort to vaccination, and large numbers
of people were vaccinated or revaccinated. In Westminster Dr. Allan reports, 9,557 persons
were revaccinated in 1901 by the public vaccinators.
The measures taken in the several districts were generally those usually adopted for the
limitation of smallpox prevalence and included in large degree the keeping under observation
of persons exposed to infection. The use of shelters for the temporary accommodation of persons
who had to leave their homes while their premises were being disinfected was also largely resorted
to, and in some districts accommodation for this purpose was specially provided. The supply
of food to persons thus accommodated was regarded by the Local Government Board as one upon
which it was competent for the sanitary authority to spend money. Returns were issued by
the Metropolitan Asylums Board showing the connection between cases of the disease and
indicating the probable source of infection, and in the early part of 1902 the Public Health
Committee of the County Council, at the request of the metropolitan branch of the Society of
Medical Officers of Health, arranged for the daily communicating to all London medical officers
of health of particulars concerning the cases of smallpox which each sent to the Council for
that purpose.
In respect of hospital provision the report of the Statistical Committee of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board states that "For this disease the managers possessed, at the end of 1901, 250
beds at the hospital ships and 1,074 at Gore Farm. To meet the expected demands of the
smallpox epidemic, buildings were in course of erection at the end of the year which would
increase the total number of beds to 3,238, exclusive of 940 beds in the permanent Joyce-green
Hospital fin course of construction') and 464 beds in wooden (Hawkins') huts."