View report page

3
found that arrangements had been made for closing the hospital both for in-patients and
out-patients, that the cases still in the wards should be kept under observation for???
fortnight at least; and that none of the servants who live out should be allowed to ???
to their homes,' but would sleep within the hospital building until all fear of the
developing the disease should have passed.
In addition, I removed and fumigated a large number of articles of bed and bod
linen which had been exposed to infection, and thoroughly fumigated the whole of the
hospital premises.
There was a complete disappearance of the disease during the four months from
the end of March until the end of July, when it reappeared in isolated cases in various
parts of the Borough. In July instructions were received from the Local Government
Board to the effect that all cases of small-pox should be personally visited by the
Medical Officer of Health, and that he should report to the Board on the measures
taken to ensure the isolation, &c., of each case.
In August a case of small-pox occurred at a common lodging-house in Tenb???
Road, Stratford. In this case the patient came from Leicester to London about
twelve or fourteen days previous to the development of the disease. He slept one night
at Winldersmuth House—a common lodging-house off Commercial Street, Whitechapel
(from which several cases of small-pox are said to have been removed just
previously)—and then came to the lodging-house in Tenby Road. Here he became
very ill, and went into the West Ham Union Workhouse, where it was at once discovereds
that he was suffering from small-pox. I at once made the necessary arrangements
and had him removed to the hospital ships of the Metropolitan Asylums Board the
same evening.
Isolated cases of small-pox continued to occur at short intervals throughout the
Borough, but towards the end of October the epidemic broke out with redoubled
virulence, the principal centre of the outbreak being Nelson Street, Canning Town???
The epidemic at once began to assume alarming proportions, and, as an illustration of
the manner in which the disease may be spread, I would cite the following circumstances
which, undoubtedly, had an important bearing on the cause of the outbreak
About the end of August or beginning of September, a family named Neicho went
hop-picking on a farm at Waterbury, near Maidstone, Kent. Several of the hop-pickers
were suffering from what was said to be " German Measles," and are said to have been