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10
The patient lived at his own house in Greenwich, and worked on board
during the day.
On the 21st (13 days after leaving Oporto) he was "unwell," and on 23rd
went to the Seamen's Hospital, where he was found to be suffering from
small-pox.
The vessel was at once fumigated, re-vaccination offered to the crew, and
notice sent to the Medical Officers of Health for Newcastle and Greenwich.
The case is an interesting and instructive one as it shows how easily a
disease might be spread by a person who at the time was apparently in good
health and certainly not suspected of small-pox. The infection was obviously
derived from Oporto, where small-pox was prevalent.
On the 8th February the steam ship "Clyde" on arrival in dock reported
having had a case of small-pox on board.
The crew were shipped at Bombay on the 18th January, and were inspected
by a medical officer on the following day.
The patient had just left a Hadji ship, which had suffered severely from
small-pox, and was no doubt infected at the time of joining.
On the 19th he was taken "ill," and on 22nd (12 days after joining) the
case was diagnosed and the patient at once isolated in boat on upper deck.
On arrival at Brindisi on 24th he was sent to hospital and the boat
disinfected.
Thanks to the prompt treatment no further cases occurred on board.
On 27th the steam ship "Lisbon" came into the London Dock with a
case of small-pox on board.
The patient had been in hospital at Lisbon for asthma from February 2nd
to 20th, and stated that in the next bed was a man suffering from what he
considered was small-pox.
On arrival in London he went to his home in the East End, suffering from
what was believed to be cold.
At the Seamen's Hospital, where he applied, he was found to have small-pox,
and sent at once to the Asylums Board's Hospital.
On the 7th May the steam ship "Jason" reported at Gravesend with a
case of small-pox.