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9
much has been productive in my special health department of the
good required of us. Yet you must excuse my boldness if, as
your Officer of Health, I venture from time to time to point to
matters requiring either institution or reform on the score of
public health. With special reference then to the Fulham District
during 1872, it may be observed, that although Small Pox lingered
amongst us during the greater part of the year, no large
mortality prevailed therefrom. Twelve deaths only were registered
as occuring within the area of the Fulham District, but I
have to remind you that under the power given to me by your
Board, several cases were promptly removed during the year to
the Small Pox Hospital at Highgate, and others by the Union
authorities to the Stockwell or other Asylum Hospitals. Fulham
appeared to offer a nidus for this complaint greater than Hammersmith,
probably from its closer contact with the more thickly
peopled parts of Chelsea, and the greater intermingling of its
population, and more probably by its more facile river communication
wtih infected parts.
Be this as it may, the measures adopted by the authority of
your Board seemed to give a decided check to the spreading of
the decease, from which we may now pronounce ourselves positively
free. I have to ask the continuance of your authority to
remove any case of this disorder which may occur, and so prevent
the spread of it amongst us if necessary. During the prevalence
of the recent epidemic, I believe the prompt removal of cases to
Hospital has been productive of incalculable good in checking
its progress, and I trust the power thus conferred upon me has
been exercised with discretion and to your satisfaction.
The necessity and propriety of thus acting is not confined to
Small Box alone. It applies to Epidemic disease in general, but
more particularly further to Fevers and Cholera. It will be in
your remembrance how much I have from year to year urged
the necessity of some local Hospital accommodation for cases of
this kind. The wards of the West London in common with all
other general Hospitals are closed against contagious Fevers, and
the Secretary of that excellent institution has been occasionally
sorely puzzled in carrying out that wise provision. Hospital
accommodation here then for cases of this kind we have none,
but the London Fever Hospitals are available to our use under
ordinary circumstances, and to one or other of these I desire
your general authority for the removal of cases where desirable
and practicable. But even the wards of these are not invariably
available, for under extensive out-breaks of Fever they have been
found full and overflowing.
For any invasion of Cholera we are utterly unprovided in
this respect as far as the public outside the class of paupers are
concerned.