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73
distance of 40 miles beyond the County boundary, were fully tested when an
outbreak of smallpox occurred in April. Between 7th and 23rd April twelve
smallpox cases were removed to hospital from addresses within and outside the
London area, and the arrangements were found to be satisfactory in all respects.
In July the Service received a call for assistance from the authorities of
University College Hospital who, at very short notice, were required to evacuate
part of the hospital while a 2,000 lb. unexploded bomb was excavated from an
adjoining site. Six ambulance-omnibuses (each capable of conveying 6 stretcher
cases or 18-20 sitting cases) and five ambulances were provided and nearly 100
patients were removed to other hospitals or to their homes. Five days later when
the bomb had been removed the patients were taken back to University College
Hospital by the same means. Both these operations were carried through without
interruption to the normal service and in a manner which brought forth high praise
from the hospital authorities.
Partial
evacuation
of
University
College
Hospital
During the year the Service was leatured at the Radiolympia exhibition held
at Olympia from 28th September to 8th October, a demonstration of the working
of the Ambulance Control Room and of an ambulance station being included in the
G.P.O. stand, demonstrating the operation of the Emergency ("999") telephone service.
Statistics
(i) DIRECTLY PROVIDED SERVICE
Comparative statistics for 1938 (the last full year before the war), 1947 (the last
full year before the operation of the National Health Service Act, 1946) and the
vears 1948 and 1949 are:—
Exhibitions

The number of calls answered by this section in 1949 established a new record,
the previous highest number (in 1948) being exceeded by over 9,500.
The average time taken to reach street accidents was 7.2 minutes as against
7.1 minutes during 1948.
The hourly record again shows that the peak period commenced between
11 a.m. and 12 noon and continued at a high level until 5 p.m. As in previous years
there was a sharp rise in the number of calls received between 10 p.m. and
midnight. The lowest number of calls was received between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.

•The bulk of this work is now carried out by the General Section.