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to provide, pointed out that the plans for the huts were in
several respects not in accordance with the standard generally
adopted in hospitals for infectious diseases. Such is the
disadvantage of haste in an emergency of this kind, to say
nothing of the waste of money; it being a condition of the
Board's assent to the plans, given in consideration only of the
" pressure" under which the Managers were acting, that the
huts should be " removed on the cessation of the epidemic."
The notifications of scarlet fever cases, which had been
1788 in the four weeks ended June 18th, sprang up to 2404 in
the four weeks ended July 16th, an increase of 616. The
admissions, moreover, were more numerous by 402, and the
cases in hospital, on the last day of the period covered by my
four-weekly report (2488), were 543 above the number on
June 18th. All of these numbers were in excess of any previous
record, but they were far exceeded as the epidemic
spread. The mortality fortunately was not high. Public
attention was much excited on the subject of the epidemic
at this time, and for many months subsequently; mainly
owing to the fact that the Asylums Board had difficulty in
coping with the applications for admission, a fact to which
the Press frequently drew attention, as if it had been an indication
of the severity of the epidemic, whereas it was more
properly to be regarded as evidence of the increasing disposition
on the part of the public and the medical profession to use
the hospitals. Similar excitement, and due to the same cause,
had been prevalent five years previously, in 1887, when
scarlet fever was epidemic, and it is matter for regret that
the Managers should have been unable to forestall occasion
for its repetition by the provision of adequate hospital accommodation.
The Gore Farm Hospital at this time was doing
good service, and without it the Managers would have had
far greater difficulties to contend with; a fact worth noting
having regard to the strenuous opposition to the erection of
this hospital.