[Report 1942] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City.

  • Edinburgh (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1942
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1942] / Medical Officer of Health, Edinburgh City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    of whom there was a very good supply. These included women doctors residing in the City who were not practising, medical men awaiting calls to the Services, and others. A group of five Canadian Army doctors served at M‘Ewan Hall Post while the rush was at its height and enjoyed the experience both for what they learned and as a gesture of help to the Old Country in an emergency. It was found that the specially busy posts required teams of two, three and four doctors at certain sessions, mostly in the evenings, and extra medical help was provided from a reserve list. The aid of medical students was permitted at a few posts, and later on received official recognition by the payment of a fee for each session. The doctors in the school medical service gave the scheme valuable help by taking two sessions each per day during the first week. Numbers Vaccinated at Posts. There was enough lymph in stock to provide supplies for the Sunday session, and these were made up and distributed on the Sunday forenoon by the supervisor of nursing personnel in the Casualty Services and the five male supervisors of the Casualty Services. All was in readiness for the two o’clock opening, and in fine weather there was a good response from the public. Several posts carried on beyond four o’clock in order to satisfy the people who had attended, and at Royston Mains centre an evening session was arranged at the special request of a large number of near-by residents. The attendances for the day totalled 7,584. Next day, a Monday, three sessions were available at all the posts, and the attendances increased to 16,448. Tuesday’s figure was 28,680 and the peak was reached on Wednesday with 29,874 attendances, after which the figures declined daily. The total number vaccinated at the posts between November 8 and December 24 was 166,335, of whom 64 per cent, returned a week later for assessment of the result. Effect on the Public. The general public proved sensitive about receiving information regarding the progress of the outbreak. They first learned of its existence through the newspapers and the gravity of the situation was brought home to them by the appearance in the tramcars and buses of posters bearing the words “ Beware Smallpox ” and advising vaccination as a safeguard. Despite wartime restrictions on space, the newspapers published lengthy bulletins each day. It was found advisable to set up a routine practice of supplying uniform reports at fixed times each day to all the newspapers, taking care that the bulletin contained an item of human interest as well as the daily statistics and appeals for co-operation. Names of patients were not mentioned, though the sex and station in life were generally indicated. The public appeared to appreciate the frankness of the statements provided, and this tended to foster the spirit of active co-operation besides giving the citizens the feeling that those directing the campaign were going about it in the right way.