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submitted by the Deputation to the President may be solved—has,
indeed, been already solved; and because this solution of the
difficulty appears to justify a further direct appeal, which I propose
should shortly be made by the leaders of the Deputation to the
President, for a more decided reply to the application made to him
for legislation for the compulsory notification of infectious diseases,
for better provision for the isolation of infected persons, and for the
"depauperisation" of the relief offered to the sick in infectious
disease hospitals.
Moreover, as I have always been opposed to the provision of local
or district infectious disease hospitals, I may be pardoned for thinking
the advice I have submitted to your Vestry has now been justified
by the event, for if the several sanitary authorities had provided
hospitals as they were urged to do by the Local Government
Board, we might have muddled on for some time longer, until the
danger of multiplying possible centres of infection had compelled
a change of policy, or until the law had stepped in to close the
hospitals—supposing the Sanitary authorities had been permitted
to get so far as to establish them. Judging, however, from what
took place in the adjacent parish, Fulham, it may be doubted
whether the Sanitary authorities would ever have got so far as to
erect even tent hospitals, for wherever the attempt has been
made to provide local hospitals, the inhabitants of the district have
taken measures to obtain an injunction to restrain the proposed
action of the Sanitary authority.
The immediate difficulty in respect of hospital accommodation
has thus been surmounted, but special legislation is imperatively
called for to enable the Asylum Board to carry on their important
duties, subject to proper precaution so as to avoid danger to health
and injury to property, without unreasonable interference on the
part of individuals. I need not pursue this subject, however, as
the need for such legislation is now universally felt, and the subject
is receiving attention at the hands of the Managers and of the
Local Government Board.
ADDENDUM.—The Asylum Board subsequently took steps to increase hospital
accommodation by borrowing two ships, Atlas and Endymion, from the Admiralty,
which, after being fitted up, at great cost, as hospital and administration ship