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sec. 27), but only if persons live or sleep in the room where the
body is retained. A body in such a state, from decomposition,
as to endanger the health of the inmates of the same house or
room, may in like manner be removed to the mortuary.
The Royal Commission on the Housing of the Working
Classes (1885) recommended provision of additional mortuaries
in London. What, however, is more required, at present, is
power to compel removal of the dead to existing mortuaries,
when removal is necessary on sanitary grounds. The Commissioners
recognized this fact, by implication, in the further
recommendation that, "in the event of a death from infectious
disease, the body should forthwith be removed to a mortuary, in
cases where it would otherwise be retained in a room used as a
dwelling by others." They thought it desirable, moreover, " that
in any case where the body lies in a room which is used by
other persons, it should, in the same manner, be removed."
(Report, page 31).
The London County Council thinks it desirable to provide a
Morgue for the unidentified dead, and no doubt it would be a
useful institution; especially should provision be made for
preserving bodies unchanged in appearance whilst awaiting
identification.
CORONER'S COURT.
It is now a common practice to provide a court for the
coroner in connection with the public mortuary, so as to
obviate the scandal of holding inquests at public-houses. This
course seemed to me unnecessary when plans for the mortuary
were under consideration, there being rooms at the Vestry
Hall suitable for the purpose. My anticipation that a room
could and would be provided for the coroner's use in that building
not having been realised, your Vestry fitted up a room, in January,
at the Town Hall, where in the year ended 31st December, 1889,
61 inquests were held out of a total of 141. The bulk of the