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Hospital accommodation for Measles.—An ordinary case of measles lasts about
three weeks, and four weeks or a month can be held to well coyer the period of
isolation necessary, whether in hospital or at home. The number of deaths
from measles monthly in London is from about 100 to about 350, according
to the degree of prevalence, and the case mortality varies from 1^ to a
maximum of perhaps 5 per cent, of the cases, so that the number of cases in
the month may vary from about 2,000 in non-epidemic times to over 2^,000
in a very severe epidemic, but as the object of hospital isolation is to prevent
and not to treat epidemics, lower figures than this maximum must be assumed.
Whether or not the cases in the month are 2000 or 4000, and whether or not
beds can be provided to isolate the whole, it may be contended that the
isolation of those cases most prone to spread the disease must tend to diminish
its prevalence and to protect school children.
Assuming that a thousand beds can be set aside or provided for measles, and
that this would not accommodate the whole of the cases applying for admission,
it would be possible, by limiting the admissions, or by requiring a statement
as to the conditions surrounding each case, to select for admission those less
capable of being isolated at home. For instance, it might be considered