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10
The Fever Hospital—recognised accommodation 84 beds, for
Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria patients—is situated without the area, and
Brookfield, within the area, provides 22 additional beds for convalescent
Scarlet Fever patients.
Though taxed to their utmost capacity, they were unable in 1921 to
deal with all the cases of Scarlet Fever needing removal from their
homes.
No recommendation to provide additional beds was made by me, nor
was the enlargement of the Hospital considered by the Council.
The present time is considered inopportune for any expenditure of
money for such a purpose, and there is no unanimity among Public
Health Officials that such an expenditure would be justified by results.
The arrangements for dealing with Infectious Diseases in the district
was fully set out in last year's report.
At present there is no provision for the hospital treatment of Small
Pox, and if cases of this disease arose in the area the situation would be
an embarrassing one.
There is no institution in the district for unmarried mothers, illegitimate
infants or homeless children.
Ambulance Facilities.—Two Motor Ambulances for Infectious
Diseases are maintained by the Local Authority, and the St. John's
Ambulance Association hires its motor ambulance for the removal to
hospital of cases of serious illness, and deals with accidents without
payment.

The County Council of Essex provide, free of charge, at the County
Laboratories in London, for the examinations of all kinds of pathological
specimens sent by any practitioner in the district.
The local laboratory is found so convenient that, during the year, the
local doctors sent 643 specimens of suspected Diphtheria.