The history and circumstances of a peculiar outbreak of febrile disease in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Industrial School for Boys, Glasgow, March, 1888 / by James B. Russell ; with note on the clinical aspect of the disease by Samson Gemmell.

  • Russell, James Burn, 1837-1904.
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history and circumstances of a peculiar outbreak of febrile disease in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Industrial School for Boys, Glasgow, March, 1888 / by James B. Russell ; with note on the clinical aspect of the disease by Samson Gemmell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    tion measured, and find that in all tliere is a minimum of cubic space, and in one, indeed, positive overcrowding—there being little more than 200 cubic feet per bed. I have addressed myself to the Superintendent of the schools on the subject, and have seen the local agent of the Inspector of Reformatory and Industrial Schools. In 1885 there were 70 cases; 2 girls died and 1 of the Sisters of Charity. Scarlet fever invaded the boys in 1873 and the girls in 1880. Measles invaded the boys in 1877 and 1884, and the girls in 1875 and 1884. Free intercourse with friends and relatives, and the absence of a probationary ward in which new admissions could spend a period of quarantine before joining the others, make the occasional importation of infection inevitable. Still, if there was no overcrowding and if proper sick-room accom- modation existed, the disease thus imported would not spread as it always does. Those epidemics of typhus, which have thrice occurred in the girls' school, are sufficient of themselves to bring discredit upon the Institution. Meteorology.—A table showing daily progress of disease, with meteorological data, will be found in Appendix (Table IV.). This outbreak occurred in the spring. The first and fatal cases on 2nd and 3rd March were preceded by a period of cold, dry, sunless weather, with east and north-east winds; the mean daily temperature averaging about 36° F. The next fatal cases on 7th March occurred after two days of west wind, with rain and mean temperatures of 44° to 45° F. This change continued for the thi'ee following days, which produced the bulk of the cases. Then occurred three weeks of east and north-east winds with occasional rain and more sunshine on the whole, but with low mean temperatures, considerably below or but little above freez- ing and very variable, during which cases occurred, 1 or at most 2 per day, with intervals of immunity. Probably all that can be inferred from these facts is that the weather was trying for weakly children and well calculated to chill the surface and pro- duce internal congestions. Health of the Neighbourhood.—In the tenements of flatted dwelling-houses surrounding the block containing St. Mary's Institutions, there are 158 dwellings, viz., 38 of 1 apartment; 85 of 2 apartments; 27 of 3 apartments; 7 of 4 apartments; and the residence of the clergy, 14 apartments; the number of inhabitants