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95
These cases of smallpox and the administrative measures
rendered necessary by Memo. 71A (Med.) of the Ministry of Health
caused the greatest dislocation imaginable to the ordinary routine
work of the Public Health Department. At one time it was necessary
to employ three additional visiting nurses and one temporary clerk
in addition to the whole-time services of a permanent member of
the clerical staff; two of the health visitors were put upon this
work at one time entirely, and the Inspectors and Health Visitors
all had to take a share in addition to carrying on their urgent
health work. It was also necessary to obtain additional assistance
as regards vaccination and medical inspection of home contacts,
staff employed in factories and workshops where cases had occurred,
school absentees and notified cases of chickenpox.
All these measures caused also a very considerable additional
expense to the rates and would have been entirely unnecessary if it
were not for the fact that vaccination in this district has been
largely refused and that most persons living in the Borough are
unprotected from smallpox.
The assistance of Dr. Barlow made it possible to supervise the
work and limit the spread of the disease. Dr. Barlow's services
were of the utmost value to the Department.
Observation cases, that is cases suspected to be smallpox but
requiring observation before a positive diagnosis could be made,
sent to hospital during 1929 were two in number, one being smallpox
and the other not smallpox.
Neither was seen by Consultants owing to the desirability of
immediate action.
Observation cases during 1930 were ten in number and six
proved to be smallpox. Six of the ten observation cases were seen
by Consultants who advised removal to hospital. Of the six
observation cases seen by Consultants five were smallpox and one
not smallpox. The final diagnosis of some of these cases is extremely
difficult, and may, in fact, be impossible until a considerable period
of observation has elapsed.
None of the cases sent to hospital for observation contracted
smallpox as the result of removal to South Wharf Receiving Station.
In fact, one case which was sent in for observation by a Consultant
and diagnosed as smallpox at South Wharf was discharged from
Joyce Green Smallpox Hospital without misadventure after a
fortnight in hospital upon determination of the fact that the patient
was not suffering from that disease. The majority of observation
cases, as a matter of fact, are removed from homes where they have
already been exposed to closer contact with infection than would
occur in the hospital, as for instance from the same bed as a patient.
The number of contacts under supervision during the year 1930
was 8,361.