London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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St George (Southwark) 1895

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southwark, The Vestry of the Parish of St. George the Martyr]

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29
Annual Report of the Medical Officer of Health—1895.
Vestry Hall,
St. George's, Southwark,
15th March, 1895.
Sir.
In answer to your letter of the 11th inst., I beg to furnish the Local Government
Board with the following specific evidence in support of the suspicion raised
in my report. (For these cases, 9ee Page 31.)
I am, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
F. J. WALDO,
Medical Officer of Health.
Metropolitan Asylums Board,
London, W.C.,
15th November, 1895.
Dear Sir,
I submitted to the Managers, at their last meeting, your letter of the 23rd
ultimo, together with the enclosed report from Dr. Waldo, your Medical Officer of
Health.
Dr. Waldo refers therein to the arrangements suggested in the Managers' circular
letters of the 11th July last, and states that he has taken care to make out the daily
list of cases asked for. Dr. Waldo, however, for some time, overlooked the fact
that the Managers asked in such letter that " a statement of the circumstances
which render the removal of cases urgent," might be added to the list.
Your Board must see that only by such means are the Managers enabled to
judge of the priority which should be given to such cases inter se, and also in relation
to the " urgent " cases reported by other parishes and unions.
Recently, the requisite information has been given, and at the present time all
"urgent" cases, for whose removal Dr. Waldo applied, have been admitted into
hospital.
With regard to Dr. Waldo's general complaint, " that cases which might have
been fairly isolated at home" have been received "to the exclusion of members of
families living in one or two rooms, often situated in large block buildings," I should
be glad if he would furnish me with a specific list of such cases, in order that I may
investigate this complaint.
With regard to the suggested remedies contained in Dr. Waldo's report, I think
the above explanation fully answers the first. As to the second, the Managers
regret they cannot see their way to make immediate further accommodation to meet
the exigencies of the moment, the accommodation in the present hospitals having
been increased to the utmost possible limit compatible with safety. But the Managers
have acquired, as your Board are aware, sites for three large, new permanent
hospitals.
One of these hospitals is nearing completion, the second is in course of erection,
and the third will very shortly be begun.
Yours faithfully,
(Signed) T. DUNCOMBE MANN,
Clerk to the Board.
A. Millar, Esq.,
Clerk to the Vestry of St. George's, Southwark.