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The Council's administration aimed at the early detection of cases of smallpox in common
lodging-houses with a view to their removal. For this purpose the houses were kept under close
inspection, especial attention being given to houses in which a case of smallpox was known to have
occurred. In such houses systematic inspection was made of the inmates, the houses being visited
in the early morning, when the lodgers were most likely to be within doors, by officers who, for this
purpose, were relieved of other inspectorial duties. Effort was made to induce lodgers, who had
been living in houses in which smallpox had appeared, to continue to reside in such houses so as
to prevent the infection of other houses which would result if they were to remove while incubating
the disease. With a view to insuring, as far as possible, the continued residence of such
lodgers where they could be kept under observation, the inducement of a free bed and, when
necessary of small sums of money for the purchase of food was offered to them, and this was done
with much success. The money thus expended by the Council during the whole of the epidemic
amounted to £35. The keepers of common lodging-houses, who co-operated largely with the
Council in this matter, were able to learn when particular lodgers who had been indicated to
them by the Council's officers were likely to leave their houses, and thus, without any general offer
of bed and money to the lodgers as a whole, which would have involved a large expenditure, by
dealing with particular persons the officers were able to secure the object in view at trifling cost.
Lodgers who had been especially associated with any person attacked by smallpox were in their
sleeping arrangements kept together in a particular room. Persons showing any ailment which
raised suspicion of smallpox were, as far as practicable, kept from other lodgers and from the
population outside until it was possible to determine the nature of their malady. It was, of
course, impracticable when numerous houses were invaded to proceed in the same way as in the
beginning of the outbreak when the Council rented the common lodging-house, 8 and 10, Parkerstreet,
Drury-lane, and maintained the whole of the inmates, keeping them in quarantine;
but much was done by the early detection of cases of smallpox to prevent the continued
residence of infectious persons in these houses. Moreover, the Council obtained the sanction of
numerous Boards of Guardians for the poor-law medical officer to examine, without previous order
of the relieving officer, the inmates of common lodging-houses whose condition created suspicion
of smallpox, and in certain localities where the common lodging-house population was much
involved the Council appointed medical men to examine the inmates at a time in the morning
before they had left the house so as to ensure the early detection and removal of infectious
persons. It is difficult to estimate the extent to which this procedure limited the spread of
smallpox in this class of the population, although there cannot be doubt that it was of considerable
value. The inmates of common lodging-houses do not appear to have been especially susceptible
to smallpox; indeed, the results of inquiries made by the Council's officers showed that a considerable
proportion had been re-vaccinated or had previously suffered from smallpox. Even,
however, allowing for this, the attack rate, which was only about 3 per cent. of the population
residing in these houses, must be regarded as low when the frequency of invasions of common
lodging-houses and the condition of aggregation in which the inmates live, is considered. When a
common lodging-house was involved to the extent of several lodgers being attacked, only the