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58
The history of the .1930 Bromley epidemic shows some
points of interest. It was of a mild type which had extensively
spread by the time it was discovered, and yet
able to be controlled to the 57 cases after a period of three
months strenuous effort. After the forty-third case had
occurred, a freslh source of infection from outside the district
was added to our difficulties, so that really there were two
epidemics in the one epidemic recorded.
A summarised history of this epidemic follows:
On February 23rd a doubtful case was brought to my
notice; a school child who had attended, before the onset
of illness, Raglan Road Girls' School. This case occurred
on a Sunday, when the schools were closed, and had not
been either out of Bromley or come in contact with visitors
from outside Bromley. It therefore appeared to be a
Bromley infection. The following: morning a caravan
child had been sent by a general practitioner to the School
Clinic, as she had an undiagnosed well developed rash.
This case, pending diagnosis, was fortunately immediately
isolated at the Clinic by the nurse in attendance until removed
direct from there to the Isolation Hospital. This
rather pointed to a caravan infection, and the encampment
was immediately visited. All members of the caravans
were examined, but no case could be found, neither did
any person show evidence of having recently had Smallpox
The Raglan Road School was in the meantime being examined,
and here was found another case in attendance at
school in the same class as that of the first case, and another
child with Smallpox scars and a history of four days absence
from school early in February. This child had not only attended
school in an infectious state, but also Sunday School,
Gymnastic Class and Band of Hope Meetings. Although
fortunate in the discovery of this source of infection, it was
obvious that the infection had by this time been widely
spread. All absentees from school were visited, and the
school placed under daily medical examination. While
visiting absentees a message was received from a medical
practitioner that he had been called to see another school
child from the same class suffering from Smallpox. The
same afternoon a message was received from another practitioner
that he had treated for Chickenpox, during the
past three weeks, a family in Aylesbury Road. This