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24
The Porter's wife assists, when required, in the Laundry
etc.
Visitors are allowed to visit patients on Sundays from two
to four o'clock, but are only allowed to communicate with the
patients through the windows. If any patient is dangerously
ill, special arrangements are made. The name of every person
entering or leaving the premises, and the time of entry and
exit, are entered in a book at the porter's lodge.
Patients from outside districts are admitted when there is
sufficient accommodation for them ; the authorities of the
Districts from which they come paying the Southgate Council
for their maintenance.
The cost of feeding staff and patients varies from 8d. to
1/3 per head per day, according to the number of patients in
Hospital.
During the past year 186 cases were admitted ; of these,
160 were Scarlet Fever, and 26 Diphtheria.
Twenty of the Scarlet Fever and 3 of the Diphtheria
cases were admitted from Friern Barnet.
There were 5 deaths from Scarlet Fever, and 3 from
Diphtheria.
The average times of detention in Hospital, excluding 7
cases, which were transferred to the Stanmore Convalescent
Home for Scarlet Fever at the end of 3 weeks, and the 8
cases which ended fatally, were:—For Scarlet Fever, 48
days ; and for Diphtheria, 44 days.
There were 12 instances of so-called "return" cases, i.e.,
fresh cases occurring in houses within four or five weeks of
the return of patients discharged from the Hospital. This is a
proportion of 7.5 per cent. of the total number of admissions
of scarlet fever cases. The average time of detention in
Hospital of these patients giving rise to return cases was 50
days, which, it may be noted, is two days longer than the
average of the total number of scarlet fever cases.
The following table shows the average number of patients
in Hospital for each month of the year, together with the
smallest and greatest number in at one time in each month:—