Report of the medical officer of health with reference to smallpox in the city.

  • Liverpool
Date:
1902
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Report of the medical officer of health with reference to smallpox in the city. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    A special stall of 20 men is at present engaged exclusively in the prevention of smallpox. The following details of an outbreak at Ao. TO, 11 Street, illustrate the methods adopted and the difficulties to be met. The premises in question are used as a common lodging-house, registered for 14T lodgers, with a public cocoa room on the ground door. The lodging-house is often used by cattlemen coming from the United States. Early in January some cattlemen from the ss. Kansas stayed at this house and returned to America on January 4th. The “ Kansas ” had 2 cases of smallpox on board on the out- ward voyage. On the 20th January 2 men who had for two weeks previously been staying at 40, 13 — Street, were removed from the Workhouse with smallpox. The premises in B Street were disinfected and kept under observation. On the 25th of January information was received from Dr. Tattersall, of Salford, that a cattleman ex the “ Lancastrian ” had been staying at 40, B—— Street, and then had gone to Salford and had developed smallpox. On 4rd February 5 men at 40, B Street, were discovered by the Inspector to be ill; they were removed to hospital and the illness developed into smallpox. All of these men had refused vaccination, mostly on the ground that it would interfere with their work. About 12 men who had been in close contact were removed for isolation. On the 4th February the premises were closed to new- comers, and no further lodgers taken, there being 85 lodgers left in the house, and it was desired not to take any step which might lead to these lodgers leaving the house. Dr. Grriffiths vaccinated 71 of the lodgers on the 4th and 5th February, but 14 others refused to be done, as they thought it was likely to interfere with their work. The men who were vaccinated were paid at the rate of i^l per week whilst they remained isolated in the lodging-house. These payments commenced on the 5th and ended on the 15th February. The premises were visited each morning, also during the day, and late in the evening, when all the lodgers were in, by the special Smallpox Inspectors, to ascertain if there was any further illness in the house. On 5th February a man named Devaney was found at the Xorth Dispensary suffering from smallpox. He was removed to hospital.
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