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authorised the Medical Superintendents to receive any persons
who, when they present themselves for admission, are in such
a condition that it would be dangerous to refuse admission.
The Board's letter was referred to the General Purposes
Committee, which comprises all the Managers; and it was pointed
out that the Board must have overlooked the fact that the
Regulations had reference only to persons who might present
themselves at the hospital gates, and not to patients who, as in
the great majority of instances, were conveyed in the Managers'
ambulances. The Committee, therefore, recommended that the
Managers should remind the Local Government Board that 40
per cent. of the patients recently admitted had been admitted
without an order from a relieving officer, and that the Managers
must, therefore, again seriously impress upon the Board the
expediency and, indeed, the absolute necessity of taking steps
without further delay to obtain from Parliament such powers as
would directly authorise the Managers to remove to their
hospitals all persons suffering from fever or small-pox, whose
removal should be applied for by duly qualified medical practitioners.
The report was unanimously adopted, and the
Committee was authorised to seek a conference with the
President of the Local Government Board on the subject.
The Conference took place, and under date 16th December
the Board stated, "with reference to the existing provisions under
which patients suffering from fever or small-pox are admitted
into the asylums provided by the Managers," that "they are of
opinion that they are not empowered to confer upon the
Managers, by any regulations which they could issue, the powers
which the Managers desire," as mentioned above. "Having
regard, however, to the difficulties which the deputation brought
under the attention of the President, the Board will consider the
question with a view to legislation in the coming Session, if
circumstances should admit of it." Meanwhile, of course, the
Managers continue to admit patients upon the application of
medical practitioners.