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246
"some supervision to be kept over patients when returned
"to their homes, and so lessening the liability to the
"so-called 'return' cases, especially in the case of those
" who have to be sent home with nasal or other discharges.
"During the year 1897 there were no fewer than
"20,897 patients discharged from the Board's fever hospitals.
"To acquaint the medical officers of health with the names
"and addresses of all the patients returned to their respective
"sanitary districts would obviously involve a large amount
"of clerical labour. The additional expenditure which
"would consequently be incurred would not, however, deter
"us from recommending the Board to furnish the informa"tion
required if we were convinced of its usefulness; but
"we are very doubtful if it would enable the sanitary
"officials to exercise any supervision over the patients in
"their homes, or even if it did so, that the liability to the
"so-called return cases would be lessened thereby, seeing
"that no patient is discharged until the medical superin"tendent
of the hospital is of opinion that the patient may
"leave without risk of communicating infection or contagion,
"and that if the patient suffered from nasal or any other
"discharge it would be such as in the medical superintendent's
"opinion was non-infectious.
"We are therefore not prepared to recommend the
" Board to accede to this proposition."
In the Report for 1898 mention was made of the
inquiry into the circumstances attending return cases
then being made by Professor Simpson on behalf of
the Asylums Board. Professor Simpson's report has
been before the Board for some months but has not
yet been issued.