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15
urgency of cases, the Clerk to the Asylums' Board
replied that “it is quite impossible for them to take counsel
with the Medical Officer of Health or any local officials as
to the selection of the most urgent cases. The Managers'
own officers must determine to the best of their ability
from the information supplied to them, which cases'
wherever situated; and without in the least claiming that this
arrangement works absolutely faultlessly, I am satisfied
that on the whole the best selection possible is arrived at."
One fails to see why it should be impossible for the
Asylums' Board to take counsel with the local officials as to
the selection of urgent cases, for since the majority of the
Sanitary Authorities are in telephonic communication with
the Board, it would apparently be a very simple matter.
That the best selection possible is made by the present
system is more than questionable. As the Vestry are
aware cases have been removed in spite of the Medical
Officer of Health having telegraphed to the Board that he
considered them well isolated, and that other more urgent
cases were awaiting admission.
On another occasion, when vacant beds were in great
demand, a child was removed from this parish to the
hospital four days after I had received a certificate from the
medical practitioner in attendance that the child had
recovered and that the premises were ready for disinfection.
Again, on telephoning for the removal of a case I have been
informed that it was impossible for any cases to be removed
that day and that it was useless to give particulars, and yet
within two or three hours on the same afternoon a child was
removed on the application, subsequent to my telephoning,
of a private individual,
I would further point out that complaints respecting the
Managers' method of selection of cases are by no means
confined to this parish, but are general throughout London.
The Medical Officer of Health lor Islington has drawn the
attention of the Board to the unsatisfactory selection of
cases by the existing method.
The Medical Officer for Camberwell points out that cases
have been removed to the hospitals which have never
appeared on the lists of patients urgently requiring removal,