Sheffield Independent – Wednesday 08 December 1937

“Havoc If Smallpox Started”

Complaints That Wath Ignores Precautions

Complaints of poor response to appeals for immunisation against diphtheria among children and for inoculation against smallpox were made by the Medical Officer of Health for Wath-on-Dcarne. Dr. T. Crowley, at a meeting of the Urban Council last night.

He reported that 25 notifications of diphtheria had been received during the past mouth, 19 of them proving positive.

There were 27 cases of diphtheria In hospital, hut thought that they had reached the peak of the epidemic.

If one case of smallpox occurred In their district they would probably have hundreds.

Mr. I. Bramham asked if it were true that some children, whose parents had given permission, had been waiting immunised for nearly months. Dr Crowley said he received notice of a further batch from the County Medical Officer on the previous day.

Went To Own Doctor

Mr. Bramham said that some children who had their names on the list In January were still waiting to immunised. In some cases parents had taken the children for immunisation by their own doctor because of the delay at school.

On the suggestion of the Chairman. Mr. J. H. Braithwaite, it was decided to communicate with the County Council on the matter.

Mr. Bramham asked If It were custom to ’stove’ houses after all notifications diphtheria.

The doctor replied that houses were stoved in every case of scarlet fever but many cases of diphtheria he regarded as an unnecessary expense. In reply to Mr P. B. Nicholson, he said there had never been second case from house which had not been stoved. The Council agreed to leave the matter of stoving to the discretion of the doctor and the sanitary inspector.