[Report 1893] / Medical Officer of Health, Godstone R.D.C.

  • Godstone (Surrey, England). Rural District Council.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1893] / Medical Officer of Health, Godstone R.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    47/70 (page 21)
    The first known case as regards date of illness of the series was that of a boy aged 7, living in a house amidst fairly good surroundings, and attending the Infant School, whom I will call A.. He came home from school on June 23rd not feeling well and as he was the subject of a chronic inflamed throat his mother kept him at home, but did not send for a doctor. After being in bed one day and feeling better he was allowed to get up and being at home doing nothing, his mother set him to nurse the baby. On June 30th, which was two or three days after he commenced doing so, the baby fell ill and was pronounced by a doctor to be suffering from Diphtheria, which proved fatal on July 4th, forming A (2) in the series—which suggests the probability that the illness of the brother who nursed him was also diphtheria. No further mischief appears to have accrued from these two cases. In the interval other cases occured on June 24th, 25th, 28th, 29th, making B. C. D. and E. of the series, which showed no immediate connection with one another except that they attended the Infant School, B. dying on July 6th and C. on July 7th. From July 1st onwards fresh cases were of daily occurrence until July 12th, making 29 in all up to that date, but some were doubtless contracted in the houses amongst the members of the families of the first cases and not due to school influence, inasmuch as all children from infected houses were kept from school as soon as any member thereof was pronounced by a doctor to be so suffering. At this period the closure of the school on July 5th began to show its influence on the progress of the epidemic with the result that one fresh case only occurred on July 17th, and two on the 16th and 17th, (the latter being traced to contagion probably conveyed direct by means of a toy which had been used by a convalescent from the disease) other than in houses previously containing a case. Now taking into consideration the salient features of the outbreak, the points which at once attract attention are— 1st. That it was confined to children living widely apart. 2nd. The cases followed one another in quick succession, and at only two or three days’ intervals, indicating probable infection by close or personal contact with each other, which in the case of children living at a distance, could probably only be effected by their meeting together for some common purpose such as 3rd. Attending School, and 4th. Being chiefly amongst children under nine years of age, probably therefore in 3th. The Infant School [21]