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41
Parish of Clapham.
previous year. The figures for the last three years 37.0,
47 3 and 57.4 per cent, show how the proportion has been
steadily rising. It raises the question as to the amount of
hospital accommodation necessary in London.
It may be taken for granted that Clapham is a fairly
representative district as regards the proportion of cases of
infectious disease requiring to be removed to hospital; so
that if over 71 per cent, of the cases need removal all over
London, it will involve a very considerable increase of
hospital accommodation. I think there is no doubt that a
considerable number of persons make use of the hospitals
for isolation purposes, who are of a social position not
originally contemplated as hospital patients. It cannot
be maintained, however, that they have not the right to
use the hospitals, for which all ratepayers contribute; so
all that can be done is to provide more accommodation as
required. There was not any great delay or difficulty in
getting patients removed in 1897.
Proceedings were taken in the police-court against a
young man for exposing himself in a public place while
suffering from Scarlet Fever, and the summons was dismissed.
The case illustrates a difficulty that has several
times arisen. The patient had called at the surgery of a
doctor, who apparently did not satisfy him as to the
nature of his illness and did not impress on him sufficiently
the need of isolation. The doctor did not see him again,
but afterwards notified the case. On seeing him more
than once later on I did not find any peeling, so possibly
it was not Scarlet Fever; at all events, the magistrate was
not satisfied that there was wilful exposure.
There were four instances during the year in which
there seemed to have been re-infection of households
coincidently with the return of a patient from hospital,
and, therefore, probably due to the return of the patient