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Daisy W. and Lavinia R. were removed to hospital, but the
earlier cases which had recovered were not removed, but their
clothes were disinfected, also the workshop of Mr. W. and its
contents.
Henrietta B. of Bethnal Green seems to have introduced the
disease amongst Mr. W's workshop hands. As to the source of her
infection, it appears that on the 24th December, 1905, she visited
Devonport and stayed with a sister in that place until the 31st
December, on which date she returned to London. On Sunday the
7th January, she fell ill with what was thought to be a severe cold.
On Monday 8th she felt worse, and on this day noticed a red rash
on the skin of her arms and legs and in the evening a few spots on
her face. On Tuesday, January 9th the red rash had faded away
and the spots remained and became larger, others also appearing on
her wrists. When examined on the 16th February she had two
small pigmented scars on her face and one on her wrist. In Plymouth
smallpox was epidemic at the time of Henrietta's visit, and although
there was no proof that she had been in contact with a case of
smallpox in that town, she was probably infected either there or on
her way back to London.
The measures adopted were sufficient to prevent any further
spread of the disease from this centre.
Another series of cases of smallpox occurred in the district in
the month of March. On the 19th of this month I was asked to
see certain suspected cases of smallpox at 43, N. Street. On enquiry
at this address and examination of all the members of the family, I
found the father Arthur H. aged 37 years, and his sons Arthur, aged
14, John aged 12, Willie aged 10 and Henry aged 8 years suffering
from mild but well marked smallpox. None of these children had
ever been vaccinated and the father only in childhood. The mother
and the youngest child were not infected, the latter having been
vaccinated somewhat recently. The source of the infection of these
cases could not at the time be ascertained.
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