View report page

52
prising that the public in general should jump to conclusions.
The fact of a Small Pox Hospital in a locality and the on' break,
of the disease in the same locality is quite evidence enough to
the generality of persons that the Hospital caused the disease.
It is to them simply a question of cause and effect.
In the first place, in judging of the probability of the disease
spreading from the Hospital, we have to ask two questions,
firstly, "can it spread throuh atmospheric contagion," that is,
by the particles of disease being carried in the air long distances,
secondly, "can it be conveyed by direct contagion, that is, by
means of officials, nurses, &c." becoming infected, and so
carrying it about with them. To deal with the first point,
I would say it is impossible to decide absolutely; but against
the idea is the whole weight of medical science and facts as
yet collected. To the second question I can at once give ;t decisive
answer of "yes," but only in case of negligence and
those cases ought to be few and far between. As far as this
district is concerned, I have been unable to obtain any evidence,
that the disease has, in a single instance spread from the Hospital;
also the cases that have come to my knowledge have not
been more numerous in the immediate locality of the Hospital,
than in any other portion of the parish. But I feel it incumbent
to ask this question. Why were there 173 persons attacked
in the Fulham Parish last year, and only 93 in Hammersmith?
To this question must be answered what to my mind is a perfectly
sufficient reply, namely, that 28.1 percent, of the cases in
the Fulham Parish were left to spread the disease, and 9*1 per
cent, only of those in the Parish of Hammersmith. The whole
science of the Medical Profession is in favour of this answer.
If it even were granted that the disease could spread by atmospheric
contagion, from a well-constructed, well-isolated, wellmanaged,
well-ventilated institution, what must it do in the 28.1
per cent, of badly-constructed, badly-managed, badly-isolated,
and badly-ventilated priavte dwellings? In these instances no one
will deny that the disease must spread. It is certainly surprising
to my mind under all the circumstances of the case putting the
Hospital out. of the question that there has not been a larger
amount of this disease in the Parish.
At the same time I am not in favour of one District being
made the receptacle for all the cases of infectious disease occuring
in others. To my mind it is a most wrong and detrimental
proceeding to convey patients long distances when
suffering from such a disease as small-pox. The most equitable