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142
throughout the street. I believe the death of that child, by drawing
the attention of your sanitary authorities to the state of affairs,
was the means of saving many lives, as some of the other children
from the infected house themselves, actually suffering from the
disease in a mild form, were freely playing in the streets with
other children. I would ask, could there be a ease produced which
more strongly proves the necessity for the compulsory notification
of infectious diseases ?
Every case of small pox, scarlet or enteric fever, which was
reported during the year, and in which the consent of the parents
or friends was obtained, was removed to hospital without delay. As
a general rule, within two hours of the notice being received the
case was in hospital. For this prompt removal, we have to thank
the Ambulance Department of the Metropolitan Asylums Board.
On one occasion when I reported a case for removal personally,
the time occupied from the blowing of the whistle until the ambulance
was out of the yard and on its way to the house of the
patient, was three minutes twenty-five seconds.
I have been informed by one of the district medical officers
that they have been instructed, instead of informing your sanitary
department of the occurrence of a case of infectious disease requiring
removal to hospital, that they should telegraph direct to
Norfolk Street.
This, as far as the parish of Fulham is concerned, is in my
opinion a mistake at least for the present, as unless your Vestry
Officers are in telegraphic communication with the other establishments
a delay will occur of at least twelve hours before a knowledge
of the cases reaches your officers, causing delay in the disinfection
of the premises, whereas, as the work has been carried on during
the past year, notification of the disease being sent direct to me or
to the Vestry Officers, every case has not only been removed, but
the necessary precautions taken to prevent the spread of the disease
within a few hours.
The following table shows the death rate of the parish for the
four quarters of the year ended 2nd April, 1887, and of the
Metropolitan district for the same periods:–