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the Borough, and the Officers of the service have been of the
greatest assistance in carrying out investigations in outbreaks
of infectious disease, particularly gastro-intestinal infections
and in co-operating in methods of control. They have, in
addition, carried out a controlled experiment in the Day
Nurseries on immunisation against measles and whooping
cough.
HENDON ISOLATION HOSPITAL.
By virtue of the National Health Service Act, 1946, all
hospitals vested in Local Authorities were transferred to the
Minister of Health. This included the Hendon Isolation
Hospital which was transferred on the appointed day, namely,
5th July, 1948. The hospital services in England and Wales
are now administered by Regional Hospital Boards, these are
based on universities and medical schools, 4 of the Boards
being associated with the University of London. The Hospital
Boards in turn divided the regions for which they were
responsible into smaller administrative units, under the control
of Hospital Management Committees. It will be understood
that a change of administration of this magnitude could not
be effected until a considerable time had elapsed, and to overcome
this gap the North-West Metropolitan Regional Hospital
Board asked the Borough Council to be responsible for certain
aspects of the administration of the Isolation Hospital until
they in turn could become entirely responsible. This the
Borough Council agreed to do, and an agency agreement was
entered into and continued until the 28th February, 1949. The
Hospital, of course, remains available for the" isolation and
treatment of eases of infectious disease occurring within the
Borough.
The following figures show admissions to the Isolation
Hospital from 1st January up to the 4th July, 1948, when the
control of the hospital was transferred to the Regional
Hospital Board. As the information given covers only part
of the year, comparisons with previous years' statistics would
be of little value, and have been omitted.