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39
Casuals at the Workhouse, who as a rule have no idea where they
will be in 10 or 14 days, such a procedure is, under ordinary conditions,
obviously impossible.
The Medical Officer of Health had an interview with the
Committee, Medical Officer and Master of the Workhouse, and
recommended voluntary detention of "contacts" for 17 days.
This recommendation was adopted. Fortunately no other cases
developed, after the primary ones, due chiefly to the precautions
undertaken by the Master, Medical Officer, and Nurses of the
Workhouse. The Board of Guardians and officials of the Workhouse
are to be congratulated on the measures they took in
endeavouring to arrest the spread of the disease, thus benefitting,
not only the Borough, but the country generally.
A letter of the Local Government Board dated February 22nd
1902, officially draws attention to the advisability of medical observation
of "contacts" for at least a fortnight after exposure to
infection, and further states that when, under special circumstances,
"contacts" are kept at their homes, or in a special place provided
for them, a reasonable expenditure out of the Rates will be
sanctioned by the Board.
Communication At the commencement of the epidemic in London a
with otf)er daily inter-communication concerning small-pox was
Sanitary arranged amongst the Metropolitan Medical Officers
Districts. of Health, and when any one of these Medical Officers
was aware that a "contact" had moved to a district
outside of London, such information was forwarded to the Medical
Officer of Health for that district. Similar procedure was followed
by the majority of Provincial Medical Officers of Health with satisfactory
results. But for such information Case B would probably
not have been heard of.
It is evident from the foregoing report that efficient vaccination
in infancy and re-vaccination at 10 or 12 years of age are
necessary to prevent the disease. If the community at large will
not undergo these precautions, then further legislation is necessary