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39
The resolution was adopted and communicated, with the report of the Committee, to the
several bodies named therein.
It will be generally conceded, perhaps, that the course taken by the Managers (and which
might just as well have been taken in 1902) was the best in the circumstances, throwing, as it does,
the responsibility for a decision on the principle involved, upon the Local Government Board, without
whose sanction no scheme for providing sanatoria for other than chargeable persons can be
adopted, however favourably disposed the managers may be to give effect to the views and wishes of
the Public Health and Poor-Law Authorities. The decision of the Local Government Board is
being awaited with keen interest not unmingled with hope that it will be such as the Council desire,
for the President is known to be favourably affected towards the movement,* and the Board have in
several instances sanctioned expenditure by Boards of Guardians for the provision of sanatoria.
The matter being still in suspense it may not be without interest to give a resume of past
proceedings with reference to it, as follows:—
The first step taken was at a Conference of Metropolitan Poor Law Authorities held in
October, 1900, to consider the question of "Open-air treatment of Phthisis," at which 26 out of
the 32 Boards of Guardians were represented by 77 delegates. It was thereat unanimously
resolved—
"That the time had come when provision should be made for the treatment by this method
of the sick poor of the metropolis," and it was decided to "bring the matter to the consideration of
the Local Government Board with the view to the necessary steps being taken by that Board for
the carrying out of the proposal."
A deputation was appointed to wait upon the President to present the resolution of the
Conference, it being understood that the Asylums Board would be designated as the proper body to
act as Hospital Authority. There was no deputation, but a communication was received from the
Local Government Board, stating that the matter would receive attention, together with applications
of a similar nature which had been received from other public bodies."
The need of Metropolitan Sanatoria.—The Medical Poor Law Inspector to the Local Government
Board had informed the Conference that, in July (1900) there were 1,562 consumptive
patients in Metropolitan institutions—Infirmaries and Workhouses—of whom 1,000 could be moved
to a sanatorium, or sanatoria, within 50 miles of London, and of the total number 400 were in the
initial stage of the disease. How many non-chargeable sufferers there may be in the Metropolis
at the present time, for whom no adequate provision exists, or can be provided excepting by a
central authority, such as the Asylums Board, it is not possible to say. But that they are a great
host may be inferred from the fact that in 1902 the deaths from phthisis in registration London
numbered 7,621†, whereas the deaths from all of the diseases admissible to the Managers' hospitals
were 3,643 only, including 1314 from small-pox, a disease rarely epidemic and which in 1903 was
the cause of only thirteen deaths.
In December, 1901, as already stated, the Council represented to the Local Government Board
the desirability of steps being taken to give effect to the resolution of the Conference, the holding of
which was the outcome of the Board s general approval of the course proposed to be taken. The
letter was simply acknowledged.
In the early part of 1902 many Public Health and Poor Law Authorities, in communications
to the Asylums Board, signified their desire that the Managers should provide accommodation for the
isolation and treatment of persons suffering from consumption. The several communications were
referred to the General Purposes Committee in July, and on 29th November the Committee
presented a report on the subject, as follows:—
"We have given due consideration to the whole question, but having regard to the important
issues involved, and to the fact that there is not yet a general consensus of opinion
amongst the Metropolitan Authorities in favour of the Metropolitan Asylums Board undsrtaking
the treatment of consumptive patients, we have deferred consideration of the matter
for twelve months."
The report was adopted.
* When laying the first stone of a sanatorium erected by certain of the Lancashire Boards of Guardians-including that
of Liverpool—the President, Mr. Walter Long, said that so long as he presided over the Local Government Board the
Guardians might be sure there would be no restrictive red-tapeism influence, but every encouragement of this kind of work.
† The deaths from phthisis, in 1903, were 7,347 as compared with a corrected average number of 8,176 in the ten years
1893-1902.