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110
working smoothly, as I believed, and in all respects to the advantage
of the public health.
In May of the present year, however, I received a request from
the Clerk to the Asylums Board to furnish him with a copy of my
letter of July 22,1884, "with reference to the removal of infectious
cases to the Managers' Hospitals on certificates signed by qualified
medical practitioners." I forwarded a copy of the letter, and a few
days later I received a further letter, (dated May 14tli), hi which
it was stated that " arrangements were in progress whereby it was
proposed to contract with various sanitary authorities for the
admission at a fixed charge, of patients, other than paupers, into
the Managers' Hospitals upon the authority of the Medical Officers
of Health." It was also stated that my circular letter of July 22nd
had caused " inconvenience to the officials of the various ambulance
stations, and had necessitated an irregular departure in several instances
from the rules and regulations prescribed for their guidance."
The Committee for General Purposes, therefore, requested me " to
take such steps as might be necessary for withdrawing my
circular letter at the earliest possible opportunity." In reply I
reminded the Committee (May 18th) of my "authority" for the
statements made, and that I had applied to the Clerk (July 4th) for
" official confirmation " of them before issuing my circular letter. I
referred also to the Clerk's reply to my application, to the effect that,
although he could not give me the desired " official confirmation,"
" any application made at liis office for the removal of a patient
would receive attention," which appeared to me to be " confirmation
"enough for my purpose. I requested to be informed "Whether
the Board had discontinued or proposed to discontinue, and if so
from what date, to admit patients on the direct application of medical
practitioners ? " and " Whether the ' Regulations for the removal of
cases of small-pox and fever by the land and river ambulances'
adopted by the Board on the 21st June, 1884, had been rescinded?
it being being apparent that certain of those regulations, prepared
by the Ambulance Committee, had been drafted in view of the
altered conditions under which the Committee had resolved to
admit patients, with, as I ventured to assume, the tacit approval of