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10
Smallpox was very prevalent in the neighbourhood, and
Romford suffered commensurately with other localities. The
Council willingly adopted every suggestion made by me in
regard to steps necessary to prevent the spread of the
disease. Luckily we had not, like some district?, to make
hurried arrangements for the reception of cases of smallpox,
the Council's agreement with the West Ham Smallpox
Hospital at Dagenham enabling it to send all our cases
there as soon as notified, and all cases occurring in the
district (with the exception of two extremely slight cases)
were at once removed. Persons who had been in contact
with the disease were re.vaccinated, with very few exceptions,
and all contacts were isolated (most being kept at the
Council's expense) for a period of fourteen days. With
regard to re.vaccination, it is interesting to note that not
one person who had been in contact with the disease, and
was subsequently re.vaccinated, became infected, whereas
two persons who obstinately refused to be re.vaccinated
contracted the disease and died. The Council distributed
handbills advising re.vaccination, and this was very generally
adopted. I consider that the epidemic was kept well in
hand, for although no less than 43 cases occurred in the
district, there were only one or two instances where other
persons became infected by the disease in the same house,
practically all the cases having been contracted in London
or in other infected localities.