View report page

4
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
I.—Notifiable.
Sixty-three notifications were received against 184 in 1893,
1 of Small-pox, 29 of Scarlatina, 12 of Diphtheria, 1 of Membranous
Croup, 1 of Enteric Fever, 4 of Erysipelas, and 15 of
Diarrhœa.
Small-pox.—On December 12th I received a notification
that a gardener, residing in Park Lane, was suffering from smallpox.
I visited the house without delay and ascertained that the
patient was employed in a nursery garden in Twickenham, where
he had frequently to unpack plants coming from foreign countries,
and he had probably contracted the disease by coming into
contact with substances which contained infectious germs. As
the patient was willing to go to a Hospital, and as there is no
Isolation Hospital in the District, I telegraphed to the Authorities
of the nearest Metropolitan Asylum in Fulham, who refused my
request, the District being outside their area. On the advice of
the Chairman, I applied to the Medical Officer of the Higligate
Small-pox Hospital, who returned a favourable reply. The
patient was removed in the ambulance the same evening, December
13th, The bed room occupied by the patient was at once
disinfected. The inmates of the house, (wife, child and lodger,)
were successfully re-vaccinated. The bedding, clothes, etc. were
sent to a professional disinfector and some other articles were
burned. The walls were stripped of the paper, which was burned
and the room re-papered and white-washed. The inmates were
prohibited from leaving the house and the lodger was paid a
fortnight's wages during his imprisonment. The Inspector of
Nuisances took the necessary steps for the supply of the necessaries
of life. The patient remained five weeks in the Hospital.
Such a case should remind the Urban District Council of the
urgent necessity of an Isolation Hospital, as there was difficulty
in finding a Hospital for the patient, who had to travel in the
night-time about 15 miles.
Vaccination.—The Vaccination was satisfactorily carried out
in the District, the children were vaccinated within the prescribed
time and no difficulty arose in carrying out the law.
Scarlatina.—Twenty-nine cases were notified against 148
in 1893, and only one proved fatal. The greater number of
cases (21) occurred during the first three months of the year.
From April to October 8 isolated cases were reported, and from
middle of October to the end of the year the district was free
from the disease, which was generally of a mild character. In
one instance the disease was accidently seen by the doctor after