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1928
27
As usual opportunity was taken to attack the cream
regulations and to assert that the absence of preservatives in'
cream was the cause of the outbreak. There is absolutely no
foundation for such an assertion. Boric Acid is the usual agent
used as a preservative. Boric Acid although it exercises an
inhibitory action on the organisms producing decomposition, has
no action on the germs of the disease, and particularly has no
effect upon the Typhoid group of organisms.
Smallpox.
4 cases of Smallpox were notified during the year, but 6
cases occurred amongst the residents of the district. Two cases
though were diagnosed in the West Middlesex Hospital and
were notified to the Medical Officer of Health of Heston and
Isleworth. Information of the first case came indirectly through
the Infirmary. On May 18th, I received a message from Dr.
Nash, Medical Officer of Health for Heston and Isleworth that
a man had been admitted from 59, Osborne Road, to the West
Middlesex Hospital on a Relieving Officer's order suffering from
Small-pox. He had been seen that morning by the district
medical officer who had advised his removal to hospital. He
gave a history of being ill since May 12th and a rash appeared
on May 17th.
No. 59, Osborne Road is a Common Lodging House with
about 140 inmates. The Common Lodging House is very well
kept, a large percentage of the lodgers are permanent ones, and
the proprietor knows intimately the habits of the permanent
lodgers. The only inmate, to the proprietor's knowledge, who
had recently been ill was an old man of over 70 years of ageHe
was sent for from a neighbouring public house and examined.
He was covered with a rash which was easily diagnosed as
Small-pox. The history given by the partient was vague, but
from information received from other sources, it appears that
he felt ill about May 1st and that a rash appeared either on May
2nd or May 3rd. He was an old-age pensioner and worked
occasionally at a carpet beating works. He had been employed
at these works, on and off, for about 40 years, but recently he
has only been employed during the busy periods. He was
working there in April, and up to May 3rd. On the evening of
the latter date he complained of feeling ill, did not turn up on
May 4th, and called for his wages on May 5th He attended
his panel doctor on several occasions, and had been at the
Surgery as recently as May 16th. In the lodging house, he
slept in the bed next to the man who was notified from Isleworth
on May 18th, and both men had been together frequently.