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Case B., came to Richmond in March, whereas this child was
taken ill in June. It is possible that the children (brothers of case
B.) though protected themselves by vaccination, may have conveyed
the disease in their clothing which was possibly withheld from disinfection
at the time, but of this there is no evidence. It is admitted,
however, that the elder brother (suspected case) being fond of his
brothers had often taken them on his knee when he first came
home.
Measures adopted for preventing the spread of Small pox.
These may be summarised as follows:—
1. Notification.
2. Isolation.
3. Disinfection.
4. Vaccination and revaccination.
5. Medical inspection of "Contacts."
6. Inter-communication by letter or telephone with
other Sanitary districts.
It is the duty of the medical practitioner and houseNotification.
holder to notify forthwith, upon becoming aware of the
nature of the illness, any case of small-pox. In every
instance this was done by the medical practitioner. In the two
cases which occurred at the Workhouse, the Master communicated
with the Medical Officer of Health immediately there was any
suspicion of the nature of the illness. Although chicken pox is not
included in the list of notifiable diseases in the Borough, it may be
included with the consent of the Local Government Board. As
many Authorities adopted this measure, the question came before
the Health Committee, who acting on the advice of the Medical
Officer of Health, decided not to include chicken pox under the
Notification Act. There are many reasons to explain why this
decision was arrived at, one important one being that in making his
investigations regarding any case notified, the Medical Officer must
not see the patient unless requested to do so by the Medical
Practitioner, and then only as an act of courtesy. If this disease is
made notifiable, the enquiries of the Medical Officer without