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19
IV.—PREVENTIVE MEASURES.
The Isolation Hospital, which the Council determined in
1895 to erect at Beddington Corner, is now in course of
construction. As described before, there will be 28 beds for
scarlet fever, diphtheria, and typhoid fever cases. The total
cost of the buildings, including furniture, &c., will be £17,500,
and its construction should be completed by the end of 1898.
Progress has been made, too, towards the provision of a
hospital for the isolation of small-pox. The Borough of
Croydon, the Urban District of Wimbledon, and this District,
with an aggregate population of about 180,000, have agreed
to combine for this purpose, and an unopposed Local Government
Board Enquiry was held in December, as to the
proposed Provisional Order required to effect the combination.
When the necessary sanction is obtained, a site will have to
be selected for the hospital, which, it is proposed, will contain
50 beds.
The arrangement made by this Council in 1896 with the
Croydon Corporation, to admit cases of scarlet fever, diphtheria,
and typhoid fever from this District into their hospital
at Waddon, was continued during 1897, and a somewhat
similar understanding exists between the Corporation and
Board of Guardians for the accommodation of "pauper"
patients.
As a result of these arrangements, 104 scarlet fever
patients were admitted from this District under the Council's
agreement, and 32 under that of the Guardians, while 3
were removed to hospital as private patients, so that
altogether 58 per cent, of the cases notified were isolated in
hospital. Besides these, 6 cases of diphtheria and two of
typhoid fever were removed under the auspices of the Council,
and 2 cases of typhoid fever were removed as pauper and
private respectively.