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Board by severing its connection with pauperism in so far as
relates to the treatment of infectious diseases; and by providing
for the election of a certain proportion of the "Managers" by the
several Vestries and District Boards of Works, the Sanitary
Authorities within the Metropolis.
4. That pending such legislative action, and seeing that the
hospitals of the Managers have been established at the public cost
and for the common good, no compulsory payment should be
exacted from any persons whom the Sanitary Authorities may
deem it necessary or expedient to remove to the hospitals for the
sake of isolation; and all expenses incident to the maintenance
of such persons in the hospitals should be defrayed out of the
general rate.
Note.—Under the proposed altered constitution of the Board the hospitals
should be supported out of a Metropolitan rate; or power might
be given to the Managers to issue precepts on the several SanitaryAuthorities
for their quotas of the expenses.
5. That the admission into the Hospitals of persons suffering
from infectious diseases should not involve the loss of any political
or other rights by the said persons.
Note.—It is proposed to place the treatment of infectious diseases on
the same footing as Public Vaccination. In other words admission
into the Hospitals should not be deemed to be Parish or poor
relief It has been ascertained that on the 15th February, 1877,
the proportion of patients in the several Asylums who acknowledged
to having previously received parochial relief was under ten
per cent.
6. That in order to facilitate the "stamping out" of infectious
diseases provision should be made for the disclosure to the Sanitary
Authority of all cases of such diseases in such manner as to the
wisdom of Parliament may appear most expedient.
Your Vestry referred the propositions for consideration and
report to the Special Purposes Committee, and subsequently
"believing that the principles therein contained are sound, and
if carried into effect, would be conducive to the public welfare,"
adopted the propositions" as a basis of policy to guide the
Delegates" from Kensington: and directed that" a copy thereof
be forwarded to each of the Delegates of Vestries, &c., prior to
the adjourned meeting of the Conference, to be held on the 16th
July." It being well known that I had paid some considerable
attention to the subject, and had dealt with it fully in my Annual
Report for 1876, which moreover contains a summary of the proceedings
of your Vestry, and other public bodies in relation thereto,
the committee recommended, and your Vestry ordered that the
section of the Report (p. 8—21) on" Hospital accommodation for
the Non-pauper Infectious Sick," be reprinted, and a copy thereof
sent to each of the Delegates.
This was done, and it is not too much to say (for it was spontaneously
admitted at the adjourned meeting of the Conference