The 1896 Gloucester smallpox epidemic affected more than 2,000 people in Gloucester between 5 January and 27 July 1896. A large number of the town's population were not vaccinated.[3]
1896 Gloucester smallpox epidemic | |
---|---|
Disease | Smallpox |
Location | Gloucester, UK |
Confirmed cases | Over 2,000[2] |
On 13 August 1896, the Royal Commission on Vaccination's report on the epidemic was published by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
In Britain, smallpox vaccination became compulsory in the 1850s.[4] In Gloucester, a smallpox outbreak occurred in the mid-1870s.[5][6] However, the 1890s also saw anti-vaccination beliefs.[7][8]
President of the Local Government Board Thomas Russell stated in 1896 that, between 4 January and 25 July 1896, the number of cases of smallpox in Gloucester totalled 2,008.[2] A large number of the town's population were not vaccinated.[9]
Ethel Cromwell was around 14 years old when her photograph was taken in a hospital in Gloucester, following admission with smallpox. She was not vaccinated, but recovered.[4]
An isolation hospital, the Stroud Road hospital was built in response.[10]
One reaction was that it led to prejudice against Gloucesterians.[11]
On 13 August 1896, the Royal College of Surgeons of England published a report by the Royal Commission on Vaccination, whose members included Lord Herschell and Sir James Paget.[7]
A subsequent outbreak of smallpox occurred in 1923.[10]