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.

    13/48 (page 11)
    If the results are plainly due to some cause oi’ causes which find no refeience in his Ueport, and which he has deliberately excluded, his conclusions must fall to the round. The ([uestion may, iheiefoie, comamiently Ije discussed in the hist place fi'om l)i-. lieece's stand])oint, and the fnrthei' evidence con.sidei'ed subse(]uently. in prepaiing his spot maps. Dr. Reece has recoi'ded not the actual nnml)er of cases of small])ox, but the different houses invaded. It juiht be thought that this is an admission of the })0ssibility that a second or subsequent case in the same house may be due to infection from the hist case in the house; but Di'. Reece cannot accept any such suggestion, and ap]>ears to be not unwilling to ascril)e a second or subsequent case in the same house to a second oi' subsequent invasion by hospital influence in no way connected witli the first case.* This is consistent with his view, and a good step towards ignoring the possibilities which Mi’. Powei' suggested of personal infection having occurred between neighbours, i-elations and friends having social or business iiitei'course. I)i'. 11 eece's attention has Ijeen ])articnlarly called to whole seivies of such instances; instances, in fact, so nnmei’ons that if he were willing to admit the possibility of such infection the whole of his spot maps would b-^ wasted labour. These facts have been brought under his notice, but he ])refers to abide by his conclusion tliat all these cases ai'e due to aerial convection, thus claiming foi' aerial convection selective qualities which nobody else has claimed for it, and foi- which no ex])lanation is offered. Dr. Ueece may disclaim this view, but if he disclaims it, he must modify his s]>ot maps and conclusions founded on them. OBSERVATIONS UPON THE HOSPITALS. Priory Road Hospital. Commenting upon the hos})itafs in the order in which they are taken, we find in legard to Piiory Road Hosjutal that in the 54 weeks ending December l20th, 1902, iq.)wards of 400 acute cases were treated, and furthermore, that during that period not one single house within the cpiarter-mile radius was invaded. This fact is lightly brushed aside by Dr. Peece, because the number of houses, he says, is spaise; as a mattei’ of fact, a mixed population of nearly 500 people have lived in absolute security there during that period, a period in which, according to Dr. Peece's Peport, the danger must have been greatest. During the succeeding eight months only one house was invaded, and this, it will be noted, at a time when the numbers sent to hospital wei'e lessening; them was nothing to connect the hospital with that invasion. The fact that during the entire peitod of the use of the hospital, viz., upwai'ds of a year and a half, only one house within its quartei- mile ]-adius was invaded, cannot be made to harmonise, even See .Appendix p. ‘28.