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14
use of large wards and buildings for small-pox patients, and
should therefore much prefer seeing wooden or brick huts being
erected as being much cheaper, for the latter can be built for
about £950 each, and need only be brought into use as required.
When I visited the hospital ships I noticed a piece of ground
surrounding the buildings for the staff and the mortuary, which
it seemed to me might be utilised for the erection of huts, and
thus save the heavy cost of moving patients to and from
Darenth. An objection might be made to this that the site is
exposed to emanations from the marshes, but I made careful
inquiry whether or not malarial symptoms had occurred
amongst the patients or nurses, and was told, no. As the ships
are only a short distance from the shore, I do not believe
that the malaria, if any, would be deprived of its evil effects
by passing over such a small surface of water, and that
therefore the buildiugs on the land site would be as healthy as
the ship.
There is one other point to which I would refer in connection
with the removal and treatment of persons residing in
the Metropolis, and afflicted with an infectious disease. At
present a patient can be removed only on the certificate of a
Poor Law Medical Officer, and an order from a Relieving
Officer. As this involves much loss of time and makes the
person, to a certain extent, a recipient of poor law relief, I am
strongly of opinion, at any rate as regards small-pox, that
patients should be removable on the certificate of any qualified
medical practitioner. This has already been strongly advocated
by all Medical Officers of Health, and is merely mentioned to
show that my opinion remains unchanged.
I now propose to lay before you the sanitary statistics of
the districts, commencing with the population, births, and
deaths, upon which all our statistics are based.