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accident affecting the safety or comfort of a patient. No higher
praise can be awarded to the Committee, or to the superior
officers who, " by their vigilant maintenance of discipline, or to
the subordinates, who, by their careful and steady conduct,
contributed to this result," than is implied in this simple
statement of fact.
METROPOLITAN AMBULANCE SERVICE.
A DESIDERATUM.
The Ambulance Service for the whole of London is now,
practically, in the hands of the Asylums Board. There are
few private ambulances, and it is difficult to effect the removal
of cases of small-pox to the Highgate Hospital, or of Diphtheria
to general hospitals, persons suffering from this disease not
being admissible at the Managers' Hospitals. The result of
this state of things is that public vehicles are occasionally used
for the conveyance of the infectious sick. Such user is not at
present unlawful, provided that the person hiring or using the
vehicle gives notice to the owner or driver, who may refuse to
convey the sick person until he shall have been indemnified for
costs and expenses incurred by so doing—viz., for disinfection,
loss of time, etc.
As a rule, cabs which have been used for the conveyance
of infected persons to hospitals are stopped and disinfected.
At the London Fever Hospital the number of the cab is taken
and the police are made acquainted with the facts. Difficulty
h iving sometimes been experienced in getting the vehicle disinfected,
the Assistant Commissioner of Metropolitan Police
placed himself in communication with the several Sanitary
Authorities, enquiring if the Vestry or District Board would be
prepared to disinfect public conveyances upon application, and
if so, upon what terms and where? It was suggested also that
a certificate should be given to the cabman that the vehicle had
been disinfected, so that he might be in a position to satisfy