View report page

has been accomplished in Lambeth, patients being removed, and
disinfection commenced, within an hour of such patients being
notified. In many instances, removal took place at night, and
a few instances at midnight, arrangements having been made at
the Sanitary Offices for a person to be on duty at all hours (Sun-
days and week-days). The routine adopted by the Metropolitan
Asylums Board (the Hospital Authority for London) is to take
each patient (when notified) first to the Shelters or Observation
Wards at Rotherhithe (South Wharf). From these the patient,
if found suffering from Smallpox, is sent in one of the river
ambulances to the Hospital Ships, which are moored at Long
Reach (the mouth of the Thames). Here the patient is again
medically examined, and if still thought to be suffering from
Smallpox (but not otherwise), is admitted on to the Ships. In
this way, all danger of allowing a patient (not suffering from
Smallpox) to be placed in a Smallpox Hospital is practically reduced
to a minimum, and the method has been found to work
satisfactorily. 33 notified cases of Smallpox from Lambeth were
returned at once from the Shelters, such patients, in the opinion
of the Metropolitan Asylums Board's officials, not suffering from
Smallpox at the times of their removals from their homes. These
cases have been withdrawn and do not appear in the total number
of cases (404) dealt with in the Report. These 33 wronglydiagnosed
cases consisted of Chickenpox, Measles, Acne, Influenza,
Erythema, etc.
No possible harm can arise from the removal to the Shelters
for observation of doubtful or suspicious cases.
Smallpox Ambulance Service.
The Metropolitan Asylums Board, on the 8th March, 1902,
adopted a proposal of their Ambulance Committee, by which all
necessary preliminary steps were to be taken with the view of
securing sufficient freehold land for the purposes of an Ambulance
Station and Shelters for patients midway between London and
Dartford. There being considerable doubt as to what
the intention of the Asylums Board really was, the Society
of Metropolitan Medical Officers of Health sent a deputation to
the Board on April 28th, and were then officially informed that
the proposed Smallpox Ambulance Service was intended to supplement,
and in no way to take the place of, the River Ambulance
Service —it being definitely stated to the deputation that, in the
opinion of the Asylums Board, the River Service was satisfactory
except in a few cases where delays occur from frost and fog. To
avoid inconvenience from such delays, and to ensure the patients
suffering from Smallpox being at all times at once removed to the
Smallpox Hospitals at Long Reach, is the object of the Metro.