The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-04-28
SMALLPOX BY WIND.

Some weeks ago I alluded in this
column to the subject of infection OF
the Essex side of the Thames with
| smallpox, presumably derived from the
| hospital ships moored in that river.
| DR., j. c. Thresh, medical officer oil
| health for Essex, in paper published
| last week, shows that this idea rests
ON very solid basis, and gives statis-
| tics showing the very large number OF
| smallpox cases which occur in the Or
sett union Chat nearest the ships) as
| compared With the cases reported ifoln
| other districts of the area over the
sanitary districts over which Dr.
Thresh presdes. At the date, Febru-
! AIRY l, some 200 cases Of smallpox were
! notified as having occurred IN the Or
/ sett union. This area mas population
! of 33,721 The remainder of the coun-
| ty of Essex, with a population OF 49,
I 700 had, up to February l, only suffered
! to the extent of 1872 cases. Or putting
the matter statstically, the cases in
Orsett union represented rate of SO
per 1000; those in the rest of Essex
giving rate of OIL per 1000 of popula-
| ton Purleet is the nearest place to
rate was So per 900 Elsewhere the
number give about "a per 1000, Clear
! ly, on the principle Of exclusion, we are
left with the certainty that the presence
of the hospital ships must be the only
conceivable cause of the great number
of attacks occurring in their YlcnltY.
DR.. Thresh calculates that if London
were affected in the proportion in which
the Essex district under notice has been
attacked the cases would have num-
bered 500, 900 during the seven months
that are past.
W. H. Power as I pointed out in my
former reference, showed over ~ years
ago how smallpox cases occurred in
greater number near to the Fulham
hospital than further off That the
microbes of smallpox given off from the
patients skin, among other sources, are
liable to be borne by the air and thus
conveyed to infect those unprotected by
vaccination or other who may be sus-
ceptble to attack is now an accepted
dictum of sanitary science DR.. Thresh
in his paper has an interesting remark
to the effect that while 1T is difficult to
fix the exact distance to which small
poX germs may be carried by the air
and yet be capable of injecting those
exposed to their influence distance of
two or possibly three miles may be
regarded as the maximum limit. This
much DR.. Thresh infers from the Essex
experiences, the infection, | may add,
having been found to bear distinct
relation to the prevailing winds. Grays
lies from three to four and half miles
from the ships, and DR.. Thresh doubts
If the wind-borne germs extended so
far The influence of the air deteri-
crates their infective powers, and prob
ably in a short time kills them; but
that they may play havoc among pop
ulation within a fourmile radius seems
to be fair conclusion drawn from the
facts. What the public naturally de-
sires to know is If no means can be
employed to limit the air-borne intec-
ton of smallpox. It would be inter-
esting to hear the opinions of SANTA
rans on this point | know that con-
siderable success in preventing scarlet
fever spread from the skin of patients
has been attained by the use of ordin-
airy antiseptic ointments. Presumably
Their can be no objection to the use of
these prepare tons in smallpox cases;
but it may also be borne in mind that
infection in smallpox is of very subtle
character, and it would assuredly be
impossible to arrest the outward pas
sage of microbes from patients breath,
for example.--London Chronicle.