Report to the Commission of Dr. Sidney Coupland, on the outbreak of small-pox in the city of Gloucester in 1895-96.

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on Vaccination.
Date:
1897
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report to the Commission of Dr. Sidney Coupland, on the outbreak of small-pox in the city of Gloucester in 1895-96. 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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    femoral vein, on the occasion of the elder child falling upon it. [T. D. A.] Case of. Vaccina- tion. Date of death. Certified cause. Source cf lymph. Covac- cinees. Sub-vac- cinees. Course of vaccination. Course of illness. Family history. Post- mortem in- spection. Summary of reporter's conclusion. Q3o Case oj. Vaccina- titn. Death. Certified cause. Certified by. Source lymph. Co-vac- cinees. Sub-vac- cinees. Course of vaccination. cise xlix., reported to the local government Board by Local Registrar. (Report dated 13th December 1889.) J . H. W., male, age four months. September 24th, 1889, by Public Vaccinator. November 20th, 1889. Vaccination ; syphilis ; exhaustion. Arm to arm. The public vaccinator stated that vaccinifer was one of seven children, who with parents were, and had always been, quite healthy. Four in number. One of them could not be traced, but the other three passed normally through vaccina- tion, and remained healthy. Not stated. Nothing abnormal when inspected on 8th day. A lew red spots came out just after that date, but faded in a day or two. Precise onset of this not stated, but three weeks before the child's death it was brought from its birth- place—a northern seaport—to the metropolis, and the doctor who attended it almost from its arrival found it in an emaciated state, suffering from aphthous stoma- titis, diarrhoea, excoriation about scrotum and anus, an abscess in right buttock, and some enlarged glands beneath jaw. It continued to grow worse, and died two months after vaccination. No history or evidence of syphilis in either parent. The mother had never had a miscarriage. Six years ago her former child died at age of 18 months. The body of the infant was seen by the reporter the day after its death. It was much emaciated. There were marks of recent but normal vaccination on left arm, and no sign of ulceration. The right sub-maxillary gland was slightly enlarged. The anus was normal; the scrotum excoriated; and there were remains of a small abscess on right buttock. There is no information as to the health of the child prior to, or at the time of vaccination. As the reporter states, there is nothing in the case to justify a diagnosis of syphilis, either in the family history or in the con- dition of the child, which is entirely explained by '• thrush.'* There is nothing to show how the infant fell into this marasmic state. [S. C] Case L. reported to the Local Government Board by the Registrar-General. Treatment of vesicles. {Report dated 19th July 1889.) E. M., female, age not given. November 14th, 1888 By Public Vaccinator. December 10th, 1888. Not stated. Dr. C, who states he did not mean to convey the ' notion that vaccination had anything to do with the child's death further than that the opera- ' tion did precede death, and may have had a debilitating influence. From arm of E. B. (No. 288). Three. Vaccination normal in all. None. Normal when inspected on 8th day. About three days later the child seemed ill and to waste away, and the vaccination sores discharged. Child subse- quently taken to Dr. C. He states the child was puny and suffering from debility, but that there was 10 abnormal condition or appearance of the vaccir ated arm. Not opened. Child delicate from birth. Vaccination had been deferred two months owing to a slight rash said to have been quite well at time of vaccination. One child aged 15 months had died of wasting, unconnected with vaccination. Reporter is unable to trace any connexion between the child's vaccination and its illness. He considers that the child being constitutional]v feeble, the public vaccinator did right to vaccinate it when it was apparently well. [T. D. A.] Pre* hisly Case LI. reported to the Local Government Board (Jj by the Local Registrar. (Report dated 30th March 1889.) T. W. T., male, aged nine weeks and three days. February 7th, 1889, by Dr. W., assistant to Mr. C. March 16th, 1889. Not stated. Not stated. Caty Ya„ Da CetUo cav Ceri Stored in a tube. Mr. C. states he is careful in f0le'J selecting healthy children for his source of lymph, and if renews his stock from the calf after five or six removes, out Iceeps no record of its origin. None. cin. None. s^ em. Normal until the 15th day. The vesicles had by this Co,Q- time dried up and scabs had formed. On this day some omSuii fresh spots, having all the characteristics of vaccine vesicles, appeared in neighbourhood of original wounds. The mother applied bread and milk poultices, and simple ointment. Subsequently Mr. C. attended the child. These fresh vesicles scabbed over and dried off in about a week, but were constantly succeeded by similar crops in increasing quantities, involving head, face, and extremities, and ultimately the mucous membrane of throat and mouth and the surface of the eyes. Two days before death the child became convulsed. Note.—There was no sign of erysipelas, nor were there any glandular swellings or abscesses. Child said to be strong and healthy. Parents healthy. None given. A note is added by the Medical Officer of the Local Government. Board to the effect that though the nature of the disease is obscure, possibly it was varicella.* [T. D. A.] Case LIL, reported to the Local Government Board by the Local Registrar. (Report dated 15th April 1889.) G. T., male, aged four months. February 18th, 1839, by Public Vaccinator. April 4th, 1889. Broncho-pneumonia, following vaccination. Mr. J. F. From arm of child A. T. Vaccination normal. Six. Vaccination normal in all. Not stated. Normal until 4th week. The arm then appeared hard, and mother poulticed it. The scabs came off, leaving four unhealed ulcers. A small abscess then formed and discharged. Mr. F., who attended the child seven days before death, states that he found a circle of inflammation about three inches in diameter round the pocks. The child was wasted to a skeleton. During the last days of its illness it suffered from convulsions. * Compare Cases LVIIL, CLXII, and CXCIV.—T.D.A. Cas r<i< >«■ tior, Dea Ceri can Cer\eil Sou