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strengthened in this belief, as several lads of similar ages, who earned their
living by selling newspapers in the streets, contracted Small Pox. These did
not live in the same Common Lodging House. I enquired of several of these
street newsvendors, whether they had seen any one of their number with a rash
on his face. Some said they had, and described the boy to me. They could
not say where he generally slept, but told me where his " pitch " was. I went
to all the Common Lodging Houses at midnight on several occasions, and
examined the inmates, but more especially the newspaper boys. I could not
find the one who appeared to have a suspicious rash, and ultimately I found he
had left London to attend the races. These boys gain a precarious livelihood
in various ways. I do not know whether the boy in question found that I was
trying to trace him, and I am not certain that he had Small Pox, or that
he was the cause of so many street newsvendors contracting the disease.
I was surprised however to find such a large number of young fellows
between 15 and 18 years of age, who sleep in Common Lodging Houses every
night, and who gain a livelihood in the streets by selling newspapers, &c. On
many occasions when I visited the kitchens of these Common Lodging Houses
between 11 and 12 p.m., I found four or five of them listening spellbound to some
old gaol bird possibly, relating his experiences, &c. Such tales must have a very
baneful influence on their young minds, and affect their future behaviour, it
would be a magnificent thing if some philanthropist built a home for these lads,
to take them away entirely from their evil surroundings.
The other outbreak occurred through an unrecognised case being admitted
to the London Hospital.
On March 16th, I received information from the London Hospital that
two patients that had been in the wards for some time, had developed Small
Pox. One of the patients resided outside the district, and the other at Old
Church Road. I immediately visited the Hospital in order to make inquiries,
and to ascertain if possible whether there was any connection between these
two cases, and 66, Leman Street. As the result of my investigations, I found
that a man named Edward Bovier, of 140, Sydney Street, had been admitted
to the same ward as the above two, on February 23rd. At the time of his
admission, he had a high temperature, and complained of pains which were
thought to be due to Rheumatism. On February 27th, a rash appeared which
was considered to be that of Chicken Pox, and as there were children in the
ward, the patient was removed to another one, which consisted of a general
ward with small rooms abutting on it. Each of these small rooms contained