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77
words cited in the recommendation" of the General Purposes Committee, "cover an intention by
the Council to secure the co-operation of the Metropolitan Asylums Board,' which would necessitate
an extended application to Parliament. Such co-operation, and the grant of power to the Managers
to remove non-infectious, medical, surgical, and insane cases, would round off the system and
endow the Metropolis with an ambulance service second to none.

Note.—The Tooting Bee station is unoccupied at present, and the Mead station is reserved for work in connection with the
transport of non-infectious cases; such as imbecile patients to and from the Board's Asylums, and the Asylums of the London
County Council, and of children to the Board's special schools—for sufferers from ringworm, ophthalmia, etc. Arrangements,
it is stated, can be made at most of the stations for temporarily increasing the numbers of the male staff beyond the normal
amount. There is accommodation for nurses at all of the stations, save the South-Western and Tooting Bee; but at present
the nurses are drawn from the various fever hospitals.
Infectious Removals.—At page 70 an account is given of the removals of sick and
recovered cases by the Land Service, in 1904, to the number of nearly 30,000, which may be supplemented
by the fact that the existing service, when in full work, can remove about 300 acute cases
a day, to the town fever hospitals, besides transporting convalescing cases to the country hospitals.
Traction.—At present horsed vehicles only are employed; but a motor ambulance (cost
£550) has been on its trial, and promises to be quite successful.* With motor traction it is
believed that the capacity of the service would be practically doubled, and that the Managers
would be able, if required, to undertake the whole of the street-accident service, and non-infectious
removals also, in addition to their infectious work. As it is, and with the horse service, they can
place an ambulance in almost any part of London in about thirty minutes from the receipt of the
call for it.
Hospitals.—However good a street ambulance service may be, it depends for its utility upon
the existence of hospital accommodation for the injured and sick, within a reasonable distance;
and such accommodation, if regard be had to the general hospitals only, does not exist. The
* The Ambulance Committee it may be mentioned are satisfied as to the suitability of motor traction for the purposes of
the Board's ambulance service. The patients are in the vehicles much shorter times, and consequently suffer far less fatigue
than in horse-drawn vehicles; and as much more work can be performed in a day by motors than by horses, the committee
believe that the general adoption of motor traction would result in considerable economy.
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