Observations of the Medical Officer of Health [E.W. Hope] upon the report of Dr. R.J. Reece to the Local Government Board on smallpox and smallpox hospitals at Liverpool, 1902-3.

  • Hope, E. W. (Edward William), 1855-1950.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Observations of the Medical Officer of Health [E.W. Hope] upon the report of Dr. R.J. Reece to the Local Government Board on smallpox and smallpox hospitals at Liverpool, 1902-3. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    Tliei'e are besides instances in wliicli the patient's illness had been of so slight a kind that he had not sought any medical advice, but as soon as he felt able, had roamed about from place to place in the district in an infections condition, until llie fact of his having had small})Ox came to light by the development of more serious illnesses in places he had frequented. He was then I'emoved to hos})ital loi' disinfection of his clothing and peison, oi' for such short detention as was deemed necessary. Tliese cases are on all fours with those alluded to by Mr. I’owei' in his l{ej>ort in 1882. Di’. Reece, howm.ver, ignores them altogether, being a|)i)ai'ently unal)le or unwilling to a})])reciate theii' significance, for not one of these facts find a single reference in his Report; he is satished to deal with maps, and to construct diagrams ujion them, and to close his eyes to every othei' consideration, and to claim, no doubt with sincere belief, that his view's are genei’ally accepted. Fazakerley Hospital. Tuniiug finally to Fazakerley Hospital, a most telling talile is constructed to jiiove that within the quarter-mile to half-mile zone the jiroportiou of houses invaded was about fifteen times as great as it wais in all the I'est of Liveiqiool outside the thi ee hospital areas; whilst in the half-mile to three-quarter mile zone it was tweuty- tw’o OI' tw'enty-thi ee times as great, thus leaving the residents wdthin the nearer zones to draw’ wdiat scrajis of comfort they can from the fact that they at least w’ei'e more secure from hospital influence than those who w’ere in the moi e distant zone. Fazakerley Hospital has only nine houses within tlie quaiter- mile zone, and a total of 175 houses within a half-mile zone from the hospital. Similarly the number of houses wdthin a mile is relatively very trifling, as compared wdth the other two hospitals. There w’ere only tw’o houses invaded wdthin the entire half-mile circle, and it is a wilful misuse of figures to prepare a table wdiicli suggests an enormous house invasion upon facts such as these. Furthermore, most of the few’ cases wdtliin the mile zone occurred at the time w’hen the hospital w’as least used; there were few’est houses infected wdien the Hospital wais at its fullest use. (See Diagram in Appendix.) It w’ill not be out of place to say a w’ord or two inoie with regal'd to Fazakerley Flospital, showing that not only wais extreme care taken by the Corjioration and their advisers in the selection of a site for smallpox, but that they had tlie advantage of the view’s of three of the Inspectors of the Local Government Boai d iu the matter. Fazakerley Hospital is an institution, the site of which received the most careful consideration by the City Council, by whom it was purchased on account of the favourable situation and the large area, namely, 118 acres. The site, moreover, received the entii'e appi'oval of the Local Government Boai'd to its use for smallpox ])Ui'])Oses. The Corporation w’eie desirous to [>lace their princi])al smallpox hos})ital in such a position that it should not be encroached upon in the future, and that jiatients should, during their illness and convalescence, have such aids to recovery as fresh air could afford them.