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37 — Temperature of the Wood and Iron Buildings.—Great, watchfulness
on the part of the charge nurses has been necessary at all
times to maintain an equable or sufficiently warm temperature in
the wards, and at times this has been impossible. The daily
range of temperature registered in these buildings has frequently
been very great, sometimes as nuch as 25 degrees, and the
rapidity with which these oscillations take place under the varying
conditions of night and day, sunshine and shade, has occasioned
considerable anxiety.
38—The exceptionally cold weather experienced in January and
February this year was very severely felt both by the patients and
the resident staff.
39—-Owing to the freezing of the gas mains very little gas was
obtainable, and all heating apparatus supplied by this means were
rendered useless. From a similar cause laundry operations were
suspended and cooking was carried on under great difficulties.
40—During this weather it was found that in the wards provided
with open fireplaces the temperature was maintained with comparative
ease by careful stoking, but in the wards heated by hot
water pipes, the night temperatures were dangerously low and the
chy temperatures could never bs coaxed above 50 degrees F.
4: --This defect was obviated by the addition of stoves, and the
cold indraught through the walls has been prevented by filling up
the crevices between the wood panelling and covering the walls
with an impermeable material further protected by two coats of
paint.
42—Summer heat was to some extent mitigated by whitewashing
the iron roofs and turning the hose on them in the hottest part of
the day.
43--Return Cases.—It occasionally happens that scarlet fever
recurs in houses after the return home of patients from a fever
hospital. This subject is a very important one, and is engaging
the attention of the Metropolitan Asylums Board, and also the
Local Government Board, who will shortly issue a special report
upon it.