Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham Borough]
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???oved (presumably to hospital). About the middle of September the wife of one of
???members of the family returned with her husband to Faulkner Street, Forest Gate.
day or two later she was found to be suffering from small-pox, and was removed to
Hospital on the 16th September, and ten days later her husband was also removed to
Hospital suffering from the same disease. About this time the rest of the family returned
???21, Nelson Street, and one or more of the boys are said to have been covered with
???lotches on their hands and faces, and were allowed to run about the streets and into
???e neighbours' houses. On the 12th October one of the children died, and is said to
have been certified by the doctor in attendance as dying from "measles," and ought to
be buried quickly. A strong rumour got about, however, that the child had not died from
"measles" as stated, but from small-pox. Assuming this rumour was correct, it would
appear that the disease was imported into the Borough by the Neicho family from
Kent, and so contributed very largely to the outbreak.
Scarlet Fever.—Nothing specially worthy of note occurred in connection with
this disease during the first half of the year. About the beginning of August, however,
serious and long-continued outbreak of the disease occurred at the Forest Gate
District Schools. From the date of the first case, August 8th, until the end of the
year, nearly 80 children were attacked with this disease, and in every case were removed
to the hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board. As, however, the Forest Gate
District Schools may be regarded as a tiny portion of London planted in West Ham,
the cost of the treatment of these cases did not fall upon the ratepayers of the Borough,
but was taken by the Metropolitan Asylums Board and apportioned to the various
districts in the Metropolitan area from which the children had been drawn.
Diphtheria.—This disease showed a marked tendency to rises throughout the
year ; but by far the greater proportion of cases was in children of the school age, viz.,
from three to thirteen years. During the first half of the year the disease was evenly
distributed throughout the Borough. No localised epidemic in connection with any
particular school can be said to have existed during the period in question. In the
latter half of the year, however, there was a distinct increase in the number of cases
among scholars attending the Godwin Road Schools, but not sufficiently serious to
varrant the closing of the schools. The sanitary arrangements of these schools were
???ot all that might be desired, and at my suggestion certain alterations were carried out
by the Board, by which means the sanitary arrangements were brought quite up to
late. I do not, however, attribute the diphtheria at the Godwin Road Schools to the