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106
"That . . . registered medical practitioners in the parish be invited
to notify to the Medical Officer of Health the occurrence of oases of Scarlet
Fever, Enteric Fever, Typhus Fever, Diphtheria, and Small Fox, and that
they be informed.
"(1) That the Vestry will pay to every registered medical practitioner who
shall duly notify. any such case a fee of two shillings and sixpence.
"(2) That the Vestry will pay a fee of two shillings and sixpence, in
addition to the cost of telegram, in respect of any case that shall have
been removed to hospital, upon the direct application and certificate of
any such medical practitioner."
The Committee were ''empowered to take the necessary
steps for giving effect to the above resolutions," which I
communicated to all registered practitioners, under cover of a
circular letter accompanied with the necessary forms.
In order that nothing might be wanting to the success of
the scheme (the latter part of which had become possible only
through the action of the Asylums Board in admitting patients
to their hospitals upon the application of medical practitioners)
your Vestry adopted a further recommendation of the
Committee to the effect:—
"That upon discovery of any person suffering from infectious disease, and
willing to be removed to hospital, the several Sanitary Inspectors be authorised
to obtain a medical certificate of the nature of the illness, as a necessary preliminary
to the removal of the patient, and to pay a fee of two shillings and
sixpence for the certificate, it being understood that the patient will be removed
upon the application of the Inspector, a course whereby valuable time
will be saved."
A considerable number of cases have been reported under
this arrangement, and others have been removed to hospitals
upon the application and certificate of medical practitioners.
As regards small pox, concealment is rarely practised, the
desire to obtain isolation in hospital being very general, and I
am glad to state that there is a growing recognition of the
desirability of notification in respect of "fevers," which doubtless
is, in large measure, due to increasing willingness of the
poorer classes to avail themselves of the means of isolation
provided by the Metropolitan Asylums Board. This fact, so
far as concerns scarlet fever, is clearly demonstrated by the
figures set out in the Table at page 33.