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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    corresponding extent has had abnndant op^jortunities of perfecting its administration in regard of this disease,” and speaks in terms of ap]>roval of the administrative aiTangements. Ivegarding the action of the Health Committee in promoting vaccination and re-vaccination, he says: “There can be no doubt that the prompt offer of vaccination and I'e-vaccination to contacts, and to those living in houses adjacent to the infected dwellings, along with almost universal acceptance of such offer by these people, very materially limited the amount of smallpox in Livei'pool.” Want of practical experience of the sanitary administration of cities has led Dr. Reece to make observations which convey a wrong impi’ession. His complaint on ])age 4, that no list had been kept of contacts placed under observation, suggests a laxity which did not occni'. The addresses not only of all contacts, but of all outworkers, with all the names necessary, wei'e carefully kept, and each officer engaged in visiting them had them duly recorded, together with his visits in his work books. A fac-simile of the record sheets is in Appendix B. These sheets, as well as the officers’ work books, were entirely at Di'. Reece’s disposal, just as every other document was, and he might, and no doubt did, convince himself as to the accuracy of their records. No useful purpose, but rather waste of time, would have resulted from transcribing these lists into any other books, nor is there the least need to encumber the bookrooms by preserving these records after theii' purpose has been served. On page 7 Dr. Reece complains that the names of patients are not recorded in a particular book, a book, it may be observed, which is not intended for their record. But there were placed in his hands volumes in which the name, age, address and date of every patient is recorded, one of them being a volume especially kept for that purpose, and the other being a book recording the admission of patients into hospital. A third is the hospital case book, one being appropriated to each hospital. It is not apparent, therefore, why a complaint of this character is made. He further complains that he failed after every inquiry to obtain the facts respecting one or two cases. It is regrettable that even at a time of very strennons effort, when some at least of the greatly augmented staff* are not fully conversant with their duties, that a few clerical errors should creep in; but it would not be a matter for complaint or surprise to any one with a sufficient experience of the sanitary administration of cities to appreciate the difficulties to be overcome. Dr. Reece complains (page 10) that spot maps of disease are not made systematically in the Health Department. It is not quite clear what he means by this, whether or no we are to infer that spot maps of disease are made in other places, but not in Liverpool. His remark appears to arise from a misapprehension of the objects aimed at by Medical Officers of Health in preparing spot maps. They are only prepared when some useful purpose will be served by their preparation, and when such maps are necessary to explain or simplify reports which might otherwise be obscure. * Upon the advice of the Medical Officer of Health, the following temporary additions were made to that section of the Staff which was dealing with the outbreak of smallpox :— 7 Medical Men. 6 Additional Inspectors. 3 Clerks. 3 Ambulance Inspectors. 7 Disinfecting Inspectors. 40 Strippers.