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a class above that of paupers, although they are sent as paupers, with certificates from
the parochial Medical Officers and Relieving Officers.
From special inquiries which your Committee caused to be made at the hospitals on
the 15th instant, it appears that on that day the proportion of patients who acknowledged
to having previously received parochial relief was under 10 per cent.
In order to enable them to deal more fully with this subject, your Committee have
obtained from the Local Government Board copies of the answers received by that Board
to the Circular Letter which they addressed to the several Sanitary Authorities of the
Metropolis on the 2nd January last, in reference thereto.
Although the duty of providing the means of isolation for persons other than paupers
suffering from infectious disease has been imposed by the Legislature upon the various
Vestries and District Boards of the Metropolis, your Committee find that only five out
of thirty of these boards have made any provision; seven say they do not possess
any facilities, such as buildings or sites, for making provision; six state their opinion
that provisions can be best made by a Central Board, like the Metropolitan Asylums
Board; and others adopt the prevalent but erroneous view, that it is part of the duty of
the Managers to make such provision.
These facts confirm your Committee in the belief that adequate provision for the
isolation and treatment of epidemic infectious disease in the Metropolis does not exist;
and they have unanimously arrived at the following conclusions:—
(a) That such provision could be best made in a comprehensive and systematic
manner by one Central Authority acting for the whole Metropolis, not only for
pauper patients, but for other classes desirous of hospital accommodation.
(b) That such Central Authority should not be merely a Department of Poor
Law Administration, but should have the powers of the Sanitary Acts conferred
upon it.
(c) That either the Metropolitan Asylums Board should be merged into such
Central Authority, or should itself be that authority, in which case its constitution
should be altered and adapted to its enlarged duties and responsibilities.
Your Committee feel convinced that the necessity for some such system of sanitary
administration as that above shadowed forth will commend itself, not only to the
Managers, but to all interested in the welfare of the Metropolis; and should this report
meet with the concurrence of the Managers, your Committee recommend that a copy of
it should be transmitted to the Local Government Board, and that their careful attention
should be solicited to the subject.
Your Committee further recommend that a copy of this report should be transmitted
to each of the Sanitary Authorities of the Metropolis, also to the Medical Officers of
Health, and that they be invited to communicate their opinions thereon to the Managers.
(Signed) EDWIN II. GALSWORTHY,
Chairman.
To this communication the following answer was returned:—
412, Bethnal Green Road,
March 9th, 1877.
Dear Sir,—I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your communication, with enclosure.
I am very pleased to see that there is a fair chance of the important subject of the isolation
of cases of epidemic infectious disease being thoroughly taken up, and effectually