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15
5. CAUSES OF SICKNESS.
Amongst things prejudicial to health must be counted the
condition of the Underground Railway to Barking.
The fatigue of strap-hanging from the City after a day's work
is not inconsiderable. That this has to be accomplished in a fetid
atmosphere adds to its difficulties and dangers and certainly tends
to undermine the vitality of the poor travellers.
Under these conditions, to jostle cheek by jowl with all sorts
of conditions and persons is to invite infection, and it may safely
be assumed that our dormitory population bring down with them
every infection prevalent in the City and the East End.
During the year, my work at the Chest Clinic in Linton Road
has drawn my attention to a particular disease, which, whilst
resembling consumption in many ways, is not due, I feel sure,
to the germ of tuberculosis (i.e., consumption).
As Medical Officer of Health, the possible association of this
disease with industrial life has had my attention, and certain steps
have been taken in the matter.
I am hopeful that our experience in Barking when correlated
with that in other similar towns may help to clear up the somewhat
difficult and serious problem.
A careful enquiry was held into the origin of an outbreak of
scarlet fever at Creeksmouth. It appears that there must have
been one or two minor undetected cases which occurred some little
time before the outbreak and which were discovered during the
outbreak in the later stages of the disease.
It appears also that the explosion, if I may so term this outbreak,
was due to food poisoning, although there were a few cases
no doubt directly due to the undetected cases of scarlet fever
and not due to such food poisoning.