From The Times, October 24, 1923
At a meeting of the London County Council yesterday the Public Health Committee presented a report on the recent outbreak of smallpox in the London area. This showed that there were altogether 18 cases, two of which were fatal. Of these, 11 occurred in the County of London and seven in extra-Metropolitan districts. On September 7 the Medical Officer of Health of a South London borough notified that he had discovered a case of smallpox, the victim being a chambermaid at a hotel.
The victim’s movements were traced. In 24 hours five more cases were discovered, and these suggested that the outbreak might be traced to a single source — the girl mentioned. Ten further cases were reported shortly afterwards. Vaccinations and re-vaccinations by the public vaccinators, of school children who had been directly or indirectly connected with the original case, were carried out.
As a result of the energetic measures taken the report continued, the outbreak was localised. Of the 18 cases, 12 occurred among people between 23 and 79 years of age, who had not been vaccinated since infancy, and of these one died; five cases were of people between the age of 12 and 50, who had never been vaccinated, and of these one died; while the remaining case was that of a patient who had been vaccinated in the Army in 1914. In his case the attack was mild.
Dr Randle said that the facts about vaccination were stated fairly in the report. Although he believed in vaccination, he did not desire to force it down people’s throats, and there was no desire to use the report as propaganda as a protection against smallpox.
Captain Warburg, Chairman of the Committee, said that on previous occasions London had been extremely fortunate; but it must not be inferred from the administrative operations reported on that that London was free from the danger of epidemics because of its protective sanitary arrangements. As to smallpox, they were always on the edge of a precipice. The report was adopted.
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Another case of smallpox has been discovered at Southwick, near Sunderland. A man waited in a crowded surgery to be vaccinated, and when his turn came it was found that he was suffering from it.
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