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6. That the pressing need for the moment is the provision of a hospital, or hospitals,
in the country for the treatment of persons in the acute and curable stage of the disease.
7. That, having regard to the provision now made, or which could be made, in separate
wards, at the various Poor Law infirmaries, the chronic cases might, for the present at any
rate, be kept in town, where they could be visited by their friends.
8. That the need for Sanatoria arises from the fact that it is practically impossible to
treat poor persons in their own homes, or in Poor Law Infirmaries in London, with any
reasonable hope of cure.
9. That the great bulk of the cases occur amongst the poor, and the poorest classes of
the people, who are unable to make any contribution towards the expenses incident to
sanatorium treatment.
[In 1899 (the only year for which reliable statistics* are available) a third of the
deaths in London from pulmonary phthisis (consumption) occurred in Poor Law Institutions.
Many of the sufferers might have been cured could they have obtained sanatorium
treatment at the beginning of their illnesses, and a large amount of poverty and charge on
the rates have been thereby avoided. It is well known that many persons reduced by
consumption to a state of poverty, drift into the workhouse, and become a permanent
charge upon the rates, often leaving widows and orphans in a state of destitution;
whereas many such persons might be cured if sanatorium treatment were made available
for them in the early stages of the disease.]
10. That whilst the deaths in London in 1904 from the diseases admissible to the
Board's Hospitals (small-pox, scarlet fever, diphtheria and fever) aggregated only 1,415, of
which 1,094 were due to scarlet fever and diphtheria (70 per cent. of them being death's
of children under the age of five years),† the deaths from pulmonary phthisis (consumption)
alone, and exclusive of all other tubercular diseases, were 7,738 || in number, and of these
a vast proportion were deaths of adult men and women (men more especially) in the prime
of life.
11. That the money value to the community of the lives lost every year from this
preventable and curable diseases is enormous, and immensely transcends any possible cost
to the rates by sanatorium provision.
Your Memorialists having given all these points consideration, and believing that it
would be in the best interests of the community, earnestly pray the Managers to take
necessary steps, as they may think desirable, forthwith; and respectfully suggest the
following:—
1. That an Order of the Local Government Board be obtained to make section 5 of
the Metropolitan Poor Act, 1867, applicable to the case of "poor persons" suffering
from pulmonary phthisis (consumption); and if necessary—
2. That an Act be obtained to make the provisions of section 80 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, applicable to pulmonary phthisis (consumption) as if such disease
were therein mentioned as well as "fever, or small-pox, or diphtheria."
The Deputation was received by the Board on the 15th April, 1905. It comprised representatives
of—
(1) The National Association for the Prevention of Consumption and other forms of Tuberculosis
(Sir William Broadbent, Chairman of the Council, and Mr Malcolm Morris,
F.R.C.S., Treasurer of the Association).
(2) The Royal Institute of Public Health (Dr. Roberts and Dr. Millson).
(3) The Royal Sanitary Institute (Mr. W. Whitaker, F.R.S., Chairman of the Council, and
Professor Kenwood).
(4) The National Health Society (Dr. J. Edward Squire, C.B., Physician to Mount Vernon
Consumption Hospital).
(5) Sir Edmund Hay Currie, Secretary of the Metropolitan Hospital Sunday Fund.
* The statistics were obtained by Dr. Downes, Medical Inspector of the Local Government Board for Poor Law
purposes, and were communicated by him to the Conference of Poor Law Authorities, in 1900.
† The deaths from these diseases of persons over 20 years of age, were 21 only.
|| Of the 7,738 deaths 897 (12 per cent.) were of persons under 20 years of age, and 645 (8 per cent. )of persons aged 60
years and upwards. The deaths between 20 and 60 years of age were 6,196, and 80 per cent. of the total number.