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conference that the Sanitary Authorities who raise the money
for the requirements of the Board " should be entitled to be
directly and adequately represented upon that Board." With
respect to the second resolution, I may observe that it is in
accordance with the proposal I submitted to the Asylums
Board, with your Vestry's approval, in 1877 ;* and that it is,
no doubt, proper that such a change in the constitution of the
Board should be made, if the Managers are to continue to be
the Central Authority for providing hospital accommodation
for infectious disease in the Metropolis. The resolutions were
to have been presented to the President of the Local Government
Board by a deputation representing those Local
Authorities who had appointed delegates to attend the conference,
the Board, however, declined to receive the deputation.
But shortly afterwards, the Managers decided to re-open the
hospital, as requested, a step which, as it turned out, might
have been taken in July, when first resolved upon, and
which, had it been then taken, would probably have
brought the scarlet fever prevalence to a speedier end.
COMPULSORY NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS
DISEASE.
The Table at page 68, showing the number of notifications
of infectious disease in London in 1895, after correction for
duplicate returns, has been kindly furnished to me by the
Clerk to the Asylums Board. The Table at page 69 is designed
to show the relative prevalence of the several diseases at
different periods of the year, being a summary of the figures
* Vide Annual Report for 1876-77, page 14, in which I wrote as follows : —
" I should prefer a severance of the connection between Poor Law Administration
and the hospital treatment of infectious diseases. This might be
effected by the constitution of a Central Authority (on the plan of the Metropolitan
Board of Works) to be elected by the Vestries and District Boards of
Works, and having power to provide accommodation for all persons whose
isolation in hospital is necessary for preventing the spread of disease." In
the same report I recommended the free treatment of the sick (in hospitals to
be supported by the Metropolitan Common Poor Fund) and the depauperisation
of medical relief to which effect has since been given by legislation.
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