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have much pleasure in taking the first opportunity of correcting an
erroneous impression and of expressing my views more fully and
perhaps more clearly. It is well known that there are many poor
persons—but little above the pauper class—who prefer to remain at
home until the last shilling of their means is exhausted, rather than
be removed to a hospital. No doubt this feeling is a laudable
one. Such persons generally live in crowded neighbourhoods, they
have no proper nursing, they have no suitable food, and all idea of
anything like effective isolation is out of the question. These are
the very cases which should be removed without delay. The
pecuniary interest attached to the attendance of cases of this description
at their own homes is so trifling, that it must be presumed
the medical men who attend them are influenced by a high sensealthough
possibly a mistaken sense —of professional duty. However
I venture to think if they were a little more urgent in recommending
the removal of such cases, and more willing to inform the
sanitary authorities of their existence, they would be discharging
their duty to their patients equally well, they would render an
important service to the public in assisting to prevent the spread of
infectious diseases, and they would obviate the possibility of any
suspicion of unworthy motives being attached to themselves. These
are the kind of cases I referred to when I said we received no
information whatever about their existence until the patients were
dead, or all their private means were exhausted. My remarks were
general, and although illustrative of cases which occurred within
my own knowledge, they were not even directed against any particular
individual, and still less against the general body of medical
practitioners.
July 5th, 1880.
During the fortnight that ended on the 26th day of
June. 126 births and 50 deaths were registered in Bermondsey.
These numbers are below the average. They correspond to an
annual birth rate of 33.0, and an annual rate of mortality of 13.0
per 1000 living. The death rate in London was 17·9.
The registered causes of death included 10 from the diseases
of the respiratory organs; 4 from diseases of the tubercular class;
and 12 from the principal zymotic diseases; of the latter division 6
were referred to scarlet fever; 2 to diphtheria; 1 to whooping
cough; 1 to remittent fever; and 2 to diarrhæa.