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10
The characteristic features of small pox epidemics repeated
themselves. In the emergency of such outbreaks, the Metropolis is
ever found insufficiently provided with hospital accommodation.
The Hospitals of the great District Asylums Board were speedily
filled, and then arose a loud outcry for increased accommodation.
The fanciful distinction between pauper and non -pauper
patients was again revived, and the Asylums Board, although making
great and praiseworthy efforts appealed in their difficulties to the
Local Government Board to help them, and both in turn applied
to the local sanitary authorities to provide for their own nonpauper
cases, and had this request been generally complied with,
and further, had all accepted and acted upon the official definition
as to what constitutes a pauper, the local sanitary authorities
would have relieved the Asylums Board of about 90 per cent. of
those requiring hospital accommodation. For it has been more
than once stated that less than 10 patients out of every 100, admit
that they have received parochial relief. As a matter of fact, our
experience in Islington is that even that per centage is considerably
above the fact.
The poor for whom hospital accommodation is so essential
should, without doubt, be provided with it free of cost, and this
fruitless discussion about pauper and non-pauper patients should
not be allowed to be continually recurring. Divided counsels in the
presence of the enemy have always proved nugatory in the results,
and commonly end in defeat.
Every exertion, it is only right to admit, was made by the
Asylums Board to meet the necessity for increased accommodation,
and some of the sanitary authorities supplemented these exertions.
Notably amongst such authorities were those of Islington
and St. Pancras, who each formed a temporary Camp Hospital upon
portions of adjacent vacant lands at Finchley. I have no hesitation
in pronouncing your Finchley Hospital a great success, the
mortality amongst the patients being exceptionally low.
The history of the Islington Camp Hospital belongs especially