View report page

44
for the purpose of hospital accommodation for infectious diseases,
Hendon to be the Local Authority to provide the accommodation
and to receive into their hospital patients from Harrow Urban
District by agreement. In January a deputation was received by
the Ministry of members of the Public Health Committee who
submitted the views of the Local Authority in regard to the
proposed scheme for the provision of hospital accommodation for
infectious disease cases.
The proposals of the County Council were amended, and a
modified scheme for the provision of adequate hospital accommodation
for the treatment of infectious disease received approval on
the 4th March, 1936.
The portions of the scheme applicable to the district are:—
1.(V) The Urban District Council of Harrow shall provide
hospital accommodation comprising not less than 100
beds which shall be available for patients from the Urban
District.
2. Every authority within the County providing or
maintaining a hospital pursuant to this scheme shall, if in the
opinion of the County Medical Officer of Health, circumstances
so require and accommodation is available, admit patients
from any part of the county on such terms as may be agreed
between the authority concerned or, in default of agreement,
on such terms as may be determined by a single arbitrator in
accordance with and subject to the provisions of the Arbitration
Acts, 1889 to 1934, or any statutory modification thereof
for the time being in force.
The Public Health Committee at their October meeting as an
outcome of the suggestion that the District Council shall erect a
hospital of not less than 100 beds were of the opinion that the
present population of the district requires immediate provision
of a hospital of 130 beds, with facilities for ultimate expansion to
180 beds ; that a site of about ten acres would be necessary ; and
that the design for the building should be obtained by the promotion
of an open competition under the regulations of the Royal Institute
of British Architects.
CLINICAL ASPECTS.
Diphtheria.
Admissions:—
Number of patients admitted with the diagnosis of
diphtheria 54
Number of cases clinically diphtheria 35
Number of carriers (2 nasal, 6 faucial) 8
Of the other 11 cases, 10 were acute tonsillitis and one acute
bronchitis, which died on the second day after admission.
The incidence of diphtheria was so light that for a period
towards the end of the year the diphtheria block was closed.