Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]
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near the hospital. His wife, however, confessed that she had been nursing two
cases in Harwood Road, Fulham, at some distance from the hospital, and where
her husband used to visit her. Her patients were not isolated, and were, after a
few days, allowed to roam about the house at will. The woman herself, a laundress,
carried on her business while she was nursing the cases. (9 & 10)
A boy from Merton Road, admitted in June, pretended he did not know how he
caught the disease, but it appeared that two relations of his had been admitted,
one from Lambeth into Stockwell Hospital, and one from St. George's into Fulham
Hospital, from one or Qther of whom he had contracted the disease. (16)
On the 16th May a man was admitted from Lillie Bridge Road, a street near
the hospital. He had four weeks previously engaged as servant a girl recovering
from small-pox, who remained in his house only three days. His son took the
disease from her. and was treated at home; the father doing his shop business and
nursing his child until he himself fell ill. (10)
At the same time there was a woman suffering from the disease, and not isolated,
in a street (Rickett Street) still nearer the hospital. (10)
The disease is often spread owing to the concealment of a first case.
A child died at home, the only disease named in the certificate of the cause of
death being "congestion of the lungs." Six cases of small-pox were shortly
afterwards removed from the same house. (1)
A fatal case in Fulham was disclosed by the certificate of death. This case
gave rise to nine others in the same family (three fatal), and five among their
friends, directly infecting four houses in four streets. (1)
A similar outbreak in Chelsea, not far from West Brompton, was due to a concealed
case in Godfrey Street, and 29 cases from different adjoining streets were
traced to this case, including the landlord of a public house who was removed to
the Highgate Hospital. (1)
Four boys from Paddington, and attending one school, were admitted, three of
whom caught the disease from a fatal concealed case; this concealed case gave rise
to four cases in Paddington and one in St. Pancras. (22)
Prevalence of the disease in one and the same street is explained by
non-removal of cases. Many snch examples could be quoted, the
following will suffice :—
There has been about 18 cases admitted from Slaidburn Street, Chelsea. Ada
removed from an infected house in this street, stated that her mother's
child had just died after three days' illness with pains and hemorrhage. Her sister
sat as a model to an artist, who subsequently suffered from small-pox at Redcliffe
Road. (4)