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soon after the passing of the Act, and therefore not long after the passing
of the Sanitary Act, it may have appeared to the Sanitary Authorities
unnecessary to erect local hospitals.
It is a defect of the Metropolitan Poor Act, that persons suffering from
infectious diseases are pauperised by entering the hospitals of the
Managers. If the assistance rendered to the sick in these hospitals were
dissociated from the taint of pauperism, I cannot see that anything
better could be devised for coping with infectious diseases qua hospitals,
than the existing arrangements extended, as necessary, to meet requirements;
but the Managers should be protected in the discharge of their
duties.
FEVER HOSPITALS.
On the subject of Fever Hospitals, I stated that "I have
never heard any objection raised to the manner of dealing
in the Managers' hospitals with 'fever' of any description.
The whole difficulty turns on small-pox. I am not in a
position to say whether the number of beds in the fever hospitals
is sufficient for the requirements of the Metropolis; but the argument
in favour of more small-pox hospitals—viz., so as to bring
the hospitals somewhat nearer to the sick—applies equally in
favour of an increase in the number of fever hospitals. It is
highly probable, moreover, that when 'notification' of cases of
infectious diseases is made compulsory, and when the powers of
compulsory removal to hospital of non-isolated cases of such
diseases has been provided for by legislation, hospital accommodation
will have to be increased to no inconsiderable extent to meet
the maximum demands of a severe epidemic, whether of smallpox
or of 'fever.'"
I also submitted for the consideration of the Commission the
following further memoranda:—
(1) "Fulham Hospital was opened in March, 1877, and it is
the fact that small-pox has, on the whole, been more prevalent in
the south and south-western portions of the parish of Kensington
since that date. In the epidemic of 1871-2, and in 1877, there
were more cases north of Uxbridge Road than south of that
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