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cost to the Hamlet of 2s, 4d. a day for each patient;
presuming the average time these patients remained in
hospital to have been a month; this charge alone would
amount to £349 10s. 8d., but there are concomitant
charges arising directly from the same source—16
children were known to have been taken into the workhouse
in consequence of parents, included among these
patients, having been sent to the fever Hospital; take
the cost of maintenance at 7s. a week each child, and
the period they remain in the Workhouse at six weeks,
this charge would amount to £33 12s.—this is a
moderate estimate for this item, because, in the event
of the death of parents, some of the children would
remain a permanent charge. Again, say 50 of the 107
patients require relief for a fortnight after leaving the
Hospital before procuring work, at 5s. a week each or
£25, making a total of £408 2s. 8d., as the cost to
the ratepayers for a small section, "one fifteenth," of
those diseases which science proves are susceptible of
prevention. The statistics refer solely to the sick poor
who come under the care of the Union Medical Officers.
These gentlemen attended during the year, 6959 new
cases, out of which 1-552 were of the epidemic class; to
all these 1552 cases, less the 107 more important and
costly cases discussed, we may fairly assign a charge
"one fourth" the amount estimated for the Hospital
cases or about £1445, making, with the £408 2s. 8d.,
£1,853 2s. 8d., or in round numbers about £2,000 of
the rates for the care and treatment of these preventable
diseases among those of the poor alone who come
under the cognizance of the Parish Authorities, the
large majority of the patients being treated at their own
houses; in many instances families have to be maintained
during illness of parents—all this is exclusive of the