Campbell, Angus Henry

2018-05-14T10:20:24Z

2018-05-14T10:20:24Z

1928

For the past few years considerable attention has been directed towards the outbreaks of smallpox in various parts of England and Wales. These have caused groat expense and inconvenience to the communities concerned, The type of disease has been mild, differing in some points from the classical type, and giving rise to a groat, deal of discussion as to whether we are not encountering a different disease.

Although in vaccination we have a prophylactic remedy capable of stamping out smallpox, the laxity with which our present vaccination laws are framed has caused largo numbers of our population to be unprotected, forming an apparently inexhaustible reservoir which affords material for epidemics to recur. These epidemics if left alone increase rapidly, may become seasonal, and may even, in some cases, take on an endemic character.

As an Assistant Medical Officer of Health for Derby, I have been in touch with one of these outbreaks of smallpox, one which has now lasted some four years and which has every appearance of continuing

In this thesis I propose to describe my experi_ ences / 2. experiences in connection with the outbreak, my observations being based on nearly two thousand cases of the disease. It shall be my endeavour to prove the important fact that we are dealing with true smallpox. Further, as vaccination and smallpox are so closely connected, I also propose to discuss some of the problems arising with regard to the former.

1. A recent outbreak in Derby, of Smallpox (variola minor) is described.

2. The cases have been shown to be predominantly mild, but there has been a small number of severe cases of the classical type.

3. The epidemiological features of the outbreak are described,

4. Clinical cases are given illustrating the out_ break. These show that the likeness to the major disease is very marked.

5. The differences between "alastrim" `and variola have been discussed. It has been shown that many were non-existant in the outbreak.

6. Finally, "alastrim" and variola are one disease. They differ only in severity.

http://hdl.handle.net/1842/30062

The University of Edinburgh

Annexe Thesis Digitisation Project 2018 Block 18

Variola minor, a true type of smallpox with special reference to a recent outbreak

Thesis or Dissertation

Doctoral

MD Doctor of Medicine