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54
notice of the Metropolitan Asylums Board, and, after much consideration,
that Board have come to the conclusion that on
account of the likelihood of the increased amount of expenditure
and added responsibilities which would be entailed, that the
Local Government Board should give some authoritative expression
of opinion upon the subject before the Managers take any
definite action.
It certainly seems, judged according to present day ideas,
with respect to the notification and treatment of patients suffering
from diseases of an infectious character, very remarkable that no
public provision of an adequate character is made for the treatment
of the large Consumptive population of London. It has
been suggested, and in fact strongly urged, that some of the
Hospital accommodation provided by the Metropolitan Asylums
Board, for the treatment of Small-pox patients, and which has
never yet been. used for this purpose, might with advantage be
used for persons suffering from Consumption, and I must say
there seems, in my opinion, to be a great deal to be said in favour
of this suggestion, particularly if this accommodation were used
for the reception of the Consumptive patients from our Poor Law
Institutions.
In connection with these various cases of infectious disease
there have been a total of 3,984 inspections and reinspections of
infected houses; 3,366 articles have been disinfected, including
306 beds, 81 palliasses, 158 mattresses, &c., on 766 premises;
214 articles have been destroyed as being possible foci for the
spread of the disease, and not suitable for disinfection.