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11
Metropolitan Asylums Board were very full, so that it was
often impossible to have patients suffering from scarlet fever
or diphtheria promptly removed to Hospital; in many cases
there was a delay of several days, in some instances extending
to nearly a fortnight, notwithstanding daily application to
Norfolk House.
An alarming outbreak of small-pox in August unfortunately
prevented the Gore Farm Hospital, which was designed for
small-pox convalescents, from being used for scarlet fever
cases.
The growing public appreciation of the advantages of
hospital isolation for infectious diseases renders additional
accommodation necessarv. Provision for this is beine-
o
supplied by the Metropolitan Asylums Board, and three
hospitals, having in all 1,556 beds, are at present being
proceeded with, and one of which, the Brook Hospital at
Shooter's-hill, is rapidly approaching completion, and will it
is anticipated be opened for the reception of patients during
the coming summer.
Diphtheria.—22 cases were notified, and all were removed
to hospital, except two children who died before they could
be removed. There were 4 deaths. In London there were
11,426 cases notified, and 2,289 deaths from this disease,
being 384 less than in 1893.
In other words, the case mortality in London in 1895
was 200 per cent, and in 1894 24.0 percent. Of the cases
treated at the Hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board,
to which a large proportion of the severe cases are removed,
in 1895 the death-rate was 22.5 per cent.; while in 1894