View report page

55
permits of an expansion of the numbers accommodated
such as took place last year. The close aggregation of
patients on a given floor space makes the work of
nursing heavier and would be prejudicial to the
patients, even if the cubic space be up to the best
standard.
The numbers of cases under treatment on the last
day of each week ranged during the past year from
a minimum of 2,523 to a maximum of 4,164 scarlet
fever cases, and from 658 to 845 of diphtheria.
Table 15 shows that, on the whole, the cases
removed were from families and tenements most
entitled to priority of claim.
The work of removing all classes of cases, but
more especially those of scarlet fever, has gone on with
much greater smoothness during the last year than in
1895. A system has been introduced by the Asylums
Board whereby the accommodation of each patient is
reported when applying for removal together with
the number of persons in the house. When the
patient is not removed on the day of application, a
return is sent to the Board by late post containing
this information. The returns from all the districts
of the Metropolis are gone through next day, and
those appearing most urgent receive earliestattention.
If the medical officer of health indicates on his return
the cases he considers most urgent, such cases receive
prior attention, supposing the beds available to be
suitable for their reception, having regard to the sex