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private medical practitioners and others. Among these
circumstances may be mentioned (1) the depauperisation of
medical relief in the hospitals; (2) the opening of the several
institutions to all classes of the people; (3) the admission of
patients on whatever form of application, subject only to the
presentation of a medical certificate; (4) gratuitous treatment;
(5) the popularity of the hospitals themselves; and last, but
not least (6) the increasing recognition by the public of the
advantages accruing from the isolation of the infectious sick.
The operation of compulsory notification, moreover, has had
great effect, for now that Sanitary Authorities become
acquainted with, practically, all cases of infectious disease,
they are able to secure the admittance to hospital of numbers
of cases, such as in pre-notification days they would probably
never have so much as heard. In connection with this
important question, it may be mentioned that so far back as
the end of 1893, the Managers had provided normal accommodation
to the extent of about 3,000 beds, for fever and
diphtheria patients, by the erection of additional "temporary"
hospitals at Tottenham and Lower Tooting. Since that date
the "Brook" Hospital for upwards of 500 patients has been
erected and opened at Shooter's Hill. Sites, moreover, have
been acquired for two additional hospitals for "acute" cases,
viz., at Hither Green and at Tooting; the latter site,
adjoining the existing (Fountain) Hospital, described as
temporary, although from the nature of its construction it is
calculated to last for many years. On the Hither Green site
the "Park" Hospital, for more than 500 beds, is approaching
completion, whilst the "Grove" Hospital at Tooting, of equal
capacity, is expected to be completed in 1898. Magnificent
progress this! seeing that these three hospitals, for acute
cases of fever, scarlet fever, and diphtheria, with isolation
wards, &c., will add some 1,650 beds to those previously in the
Managers' possession. The Managers have also acquired a
site of 135 acres at Carshalton, in Surrey, for a convalescent
fever hospital for 700 beds; having, already, north of the