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4
a special Government Department, so that their freedom from
contamination may be ensured, and a palatable and nutritious
article of diet restored to the confidence of the public.
PROVISION AGAINST INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
An arrangement with the Hendon Rural District Council
now exists which enables us to remove cases to their Isolation
Hospital when necessary. I sincerely hope that this new
arrangement will prove mutually satisfactory so long as it
may be necessary to make use of it. Unfortunately the assent
of the Local Government Board to the purchase of the land
near Holton's Farm, which the Council proposed to acquire
for the purpose of erecting an Isolation Hospital, was withheld.
In many respects, although much larger than necessary, this
land was very suitable for the purpose, and it was a disappointment
to have the proposal quashed after waiting so long for
its realisation. There must, however, be other suitable sites
in the district or contiguous to it, and I am persuaded that no
other arrangement save a Hospital of our own will yield
permanently satisfactory results, or efficiently meet the
requirements of this rapidly growing district as regards
provision against Infectious Diseases. The district is developing
in a way that should make us anticipate that the incidence
of Infectious Diseases will always yield a somewhat high proportion
to the population, and an Isolation Hospital under the
direct control of the District Council and Sanitary Officers
will of necessity be more satisfactory, and I believe in the
end prove least expensive.
PROVISION AGAINST SMALL-POX.
The temporary Hospital equipped with all requirements
which the Council so wisely provided last year against a possible
outbreak of this disease has not, I am glad to say, so far
been required, no case of the disease having occurred in our
district, although those surrounding us have not all been as
fortunate. Several cases of " contacts " were notified to me
by various Metropolitan Medical Officers as residing in this
District. These people, I need scarcely say, were very carefully
watched until all danger of their developing the disease
had passed. I have good reasons for thinking this district is
very well vaccinated.
The j County Council undoubtedly could best deal with
this problem of providing Hospitals for the treatment of
Small-pox, and it is very much to be hoped that the scheme