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79
away from the main building, to which infectious or "suspect"
cases might be sent. There is an entire lack of convenience
for dealing with an outbreak of this character, and this
is still further emphasised by the inadequacy of the accommodation
to meet the demand put upon it from time to time. The
Infirmary is certified to accommodate 658 patients, and at the
time this outbreak of Diphtheria commenced, the number of
patients in the Institution was considerably over 800. (On the
26th January, 1908, the official numbers supplied to me were
833.) To meet this pressure, in addition to finding it necessary
in a large number of cases to put two patients in one bed, a
number of beds had to be made up on the floor.
The state of the overcrowding prevailing at the Infirmary at
this time was reported to the Council, and the following resolution
was passed at this meeting held on the 12th February:—
"That the attention of the Local Government Board be
called to the inadequacy of the accommodation at the Infirmary,
and informed that the Council are of opinion that
the time has arrived when steps should be taken for the provision
of a new building, and that the Guardians be informed
of the action of the Council in the matter."
Patients are received from any part of the Borough of Battersea
or Wandsworth. Children are accommodated mainly in the
old part of the building in "B" and "C" Blocks, but one Ward
(Livingstone) is set aside in "A" Block as a Convalescent Ward
for their use. One very bad arrangement that, owing to the defective
planning of the Institution and the inadequacy of the
accommodation, was unavoidable. Many of the children sent in
to the Infirmary were suffering from the various common infectious
diseases of childhood—e.g., measles, whooping-cough,
chicken-pox, etc., and to secure some form of isolation these cases
had to be distributed throughout the Adult Wards in "B" and
"C" Blocks.
Having regard to the importance of the Institution as an
Infirmary for the sick poor of the district, with a united