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2. That great loss accrues to the community from these deaths, and this morbidity,
from pulmonary phthisis (consumption), and many deaths, and much illness and suffering
might be prevented, were hospitals provided for the treatment of the disease.
3. That persons suffering from pulmonary phthisis (consumption) may be divided,
roughly, into two classes; (1) Those in the primary stage of the disease, which is curable,
and not specially infectious; and (2) Those in the chronic stage of the disease, which is
incurable and very infectious.
4. That for those in the primary stage of the disease, hospitals are required wherein
the patients may be treated with a view to cure; and for those in the chronic stage,
refuges wherein the patients may be isolated so as to be prevented from spreading the
disease to others.
5. That the existing provision, of hospitals for pulmonary phthisis (consumption) in
London is totally inadequate; and that, in connection with such provision as there is,
great difficulty (and consequent delay) is experienced in obtaining admittance thereto; more
especially when, as usually is the case, the " letter " system prevails, rendering it necessary
for patients not only to have to wait long for their turn, and so lose the advantage of
special and valuable treatment in the early stage of the disease, but also to find that, when
admitted, they are rarely kept in hospital long enough to obtain a cure.
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 poorest classes of the people,
who are unable to make any contribution towards the expenses incident to sanatorium
treatment.
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 deaths of
children under the age of five years*), the deaths from pulmonary phthisis (consumption)
alone, and exclusive of nil other forms of tubercular disease, 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 disease 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 Memorial was presented to the Managers in April, 1905, the honour of representing the
Metropolitan Medical Officers of Health having devolved on me. Speeches in support of the prayer
were made by the Chairman of the Council of the National Association for the Prevention of Consumption
(the lateSir William Broadbent) and the delegates of the Hospital Sunday Fund (Sir E.
Hay Currie) and the Hospital Saturday Fund (Mr. W. G. Bunn). The Society was honoured on the
occasion by the presence of representatives of The Royal Institute of Public Health, the Royal
Sanitary Institute, and the National Health Society. The Chairman of the Board, in a sympathetic
reply, acknowledged the importance of the matter, and the influential character of the deputation. A
shorthand note of the proceedings was widely circulated by the Managers, who desired to elicit the
views of the Public Health and Poor Law authorities on the question.
The Memorial was referred to the General Purposes Committee, and forwarded subsequently
to the Local Government Board, by whom in June, 1905, the Managers were informed that they
were " obtaining information on the whole subject," and " were not then in a position to express
* The deaths from these diseases of persons over 20 years of age, were 21 only.
t 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.