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beds in the wards of the hospitals, by the diversion of rooms
hitherto in use for other purposes, by the opening of the Gore
Farm Hospital at Darenth (erected for convalescing Small-pox
patients), and by the erection of temporary huts in the grounds
at several of the hospitals. They also revived a proposal, made
in April, 1891, for the purchase of a site at Tottenham, to
which the Local Government Board had declined to consent.
Much delay ensued, but, ultimately, on the 11th August, the
purchase was sanctioned, and on the 8th October the first
wards of the temporary "North-Eastern Hospital," were opened.
Before this time, however, the accommodation at the disposal
of the Managers had become exhausted, so that many patients
had to be left in their own homes until vacancies were created
in the hospitals, by deaths, or by the discharge of recovered
patients. The highest number of Fever patients under treatment
at one time during the year, was attained on the 17th
November, when 4,389 cases were in hospital. It is observed
that no cases " other than those fully entitled to claim admission
to the Board's hospitals, were admitted "—a somewhat
superfluous statement, as " the hospitals are supported by the
public rates, and, in the interests of public health, Parliament
has been pleased to give every inhabitant of London a perfect
right to admission and to gratuitous treatment," precisely as I
recommended in January, 1877. Enteric Fever prevalence was
considerably below the average in 1892.
Diphtheria.—The number of patients removed to hospital
certified to be suffering from Diphtheria, or from Diphtheritic
Membranous Croup (2,349),* was much in excess of the number
in the previous year, viz., 1,481; the numbers in the preceding
two years were 770, and 1,049, respectively. Forty per cent. of
the cases were removed during the first half, and GO per cent.
during the second half of the year.
* Of this number only 2,019 apparently proved to be of a diphtheritic
character,