[Report 1903] / Medical Officer of Health, Portsmouth Borough.

  • Portsmouth (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1903] / Medical Officer of Health, Portsmouth Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    27/94 (page 23)
    Small-Pox.—Two cases of Small-pox were reported during the year. The first case was a man, W.S., who had tramped from the North of England and had evidently contracted the disease en route. At the time he was taken ill, April 12th, he was living in Taylor’s Court, Portsea. He was at once removed to the Locks Small-pox Hospital, together with his wife and three children; the latter were vaccinated,and after being kept for twelve days under observation, discharged. The second case was that of R.L., a boy aged 4J. He was notified suffering from Small-pox at a house in Fratton Road on December 12th. He had been brought from Benwell, Gateshead, on December 3rd, by his father and mother. This patient was also promptly removed to the Hospital, the remainder of the family, and all with whom the family had been in contact, vaccinated. Fortunately, in neither of the above cases was there any spread of the disease in the Borough, with the exception of the female caretaker, Mrs. S., at the Hospital, who subsequently contracted the disease. Mrs. S. was not vaccinated on going to the Small-pox Hospital as she stated that she had been done about six years previously. Amongst other steps taken to prevent Small-pox, repre¬ sentations were made in June to the General Officer in command of the Southern District that it was inadvisable to bring the Lancashire Garrison Artillery to this Borough from Altcar for their yearly training, as there had been cases of Small-pox in the camp at Altcar. These representations were fortunately supported by the General Officer, and the move¬ ment of the troops to Portsmouth was stopped. As this Militia was recruited from a district in which there were a number of Small-pox cases at the time, there can be no doubt that had the men been brought to Southsea considerable risk of importing cases of Small-pox would have been run, and if such cases had occurred at that time, the beginning of June,the effect on the Southsea season, apart from all other considerations, might have been very disastrous.