Dr Underwood the then Deputy Medical Officer of Health, was asked to admit a young girl from outside the borough with Cerebro-spinal meningitis and as the young girl was so ill he agreed. Dr. Underwood explained in great detail to all the staff at Badsley Moor Lane Hospital the seriousness of this often fatal condition. As the staff waited for the young girl to arrive a message came to say she had sadly died during preparation for the journey. The young girl was from an extremely poor neighbourhood and she had contracted the disease on 10th April 1930.
Dr. Underwood could not believe his ears on visiting the girls school on the 15th April to discoverer 81 children who informed him with pride that they had visited the house and viewed the dead body. Subsequently all of the 116 children and one teacher were excluded from school for three weeks and all were to be visited by the school nurse in case any symptoms developed. Parents were advised to seek medical help if they had any worries over their children. Fortunately none of these contacts developed the disease.
In Rotherham a case like this should not have occurred as under the Rotherham Corporation act 1924 it states. “Parents being the person in charge of the body of a person who has died of an infectious disease did permit or allow other persons unnecessarily to come into contact with the body".
© Neil and Janet Croft 2005