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9
The fourth case was that of G.S.B., aged 38, who worked in Fashion
Street, Whitechapel, but lived at East Road, West Ham. He was taken ill
on July 26th, the rash appearing on the 28th, and he was removed to thd
Orsett Isolation Hospital on the 30th.
From the dates of the appearance of the rash, it is probable that the four
cases were infected between July 10th and 14th, and the source of the
infection indicated the probability of an unrecognised case of a mild type being
the common origin of the four. All had a connection with that part of London
between Commercial Street and Houndsditch. It was possible for the unrecognised
case to be in our Borough, and I immediately took all possible steps
to try and trace it.
As three weeks had elapsed before I commenced to make enquiries, the
difficulties were great, and I was not too sanguine of success. I circularised
the Doctors and asked them to report to me immediately, if a patient consulted
them, who had a fading rash on his skin.
I asked the boys in the neighbourhood of Cobb Street if they had seen
any boy or girl in their neighbourhood who had Chicken Pox or a rash on
their face three weeks previously. As a result of these enquiries, Mr.
Shepherd, the Sanitary Inspector for the district was informed on August
3rd that S. L., aged 16, of Crispin Street, had Chicken Pox. I visited
him immediately and found that L. was taken ill on July 1st, and a rash
appeared on the 4th. He went to the London Hospital on the same date,
where he was told he was suffering from Chicken Pox. The appearance of the
skin at the time of my visit was consistent with the assumption that the rash
which appeared on the 4th was that of Small Pox. The eruption had been
scanty, and the disease was of a mild character. The patient was in his bedroom
for three or four days after the date of the appearance of the rash, i.e., from July
4th to the 7th or 8th. On July 8th he assisted his mother in serving customers
with cups of tea and selling tobacco and cigarettes. On Wednesday, July
12th, he met H.S. (case No. 3) in the street. S. asked him what the spots
were. L. replied that it was Chicken Pox. H.S. told the other boys to
"come away from him, he has Chicken Pox." It appears, therefore, that on
this date, the contact was not a close one. He saw H.S. again on Friday,
the 14th, when S. gave L. the address of a mutual friend. Although the
scabs had disappeared with the exception of one on the instep, which was
typical of Small Pox, yet the distribution of the rash was very significant,
and I came to the conclusion that he had had Small Pox and not Chicken Pox.
Acting on this, I examined the other inmates in the house, and found an
Indian named D.J. K., actually with the Small Pox eruption. He had been