The Attorney-General and others -v- The Mayor, aldermen & citizens of the city of Nottingham. Minutes of evidence (February 10 - February 15, 1904).

  • Great Britain. High Court of Justice. Chancery Division.
Date:
[1904?]
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Attorney-General and others -v- The Mayor, aldermen & citizens of the city of Nottingham. Minutes of evidence (February 10 - February 15, 1904). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    February 15,1904 miological Cells, aii(l the crust of the dry cells from the small-pox patient ?—Yes, if no means are taken to prevent that. H R Kenwood -?986. You have studied, as all you gentlemen have done, the London cases I have. 2987. From the beginning in 1S80 and continuing down to the A removal of the hospital from the metropolitan area ?—Yes. 2988. Is it not the fact that the exceptional incidence of the small-pox in the immediate neighbourhoo<l of some of the London small-pox hospitals, in which were formally treated during epidemic periods large numbers of cases can admit of but one explanation, B namely, that when a sufficient number of cases in the acute stages are collected together in one Imilding on a small area of gi-ound, the hospital becomes a centre of infection to the surrounding ueighbourhood. Is not that so ?--That is so. When the sufficient number of hospitals are faultily administei'ed as those were. (' 2989. You do not say so in your book ?—No, but I am referring to the London experience there. 2990. But there is nothing about faulty administration you know^ — can admit of one explanation, namely, that wdien a sufficient number of cases in the acute stages are collected together in one D building on a small area of ground, the hospital becomes a centre of infection to the surrounding neighbourhood. That was your opinion when you wrote your practical work on Hygiene, of which I have an edition of 190 i ?- That is the opinion certainly warranted by the early London experience ; but I should like to say that it is not com- JE parable to the hospital with which we are concerned now. Those were very large hospitals, and I mention there in a sufficient number of cases, by that I meant in a very large number of cases. 299L What number of cases do you mean?—That has not been defined, but I have practical experience up to 40. F 2992. J)r. Reid i.*^ a very experienced gentleman whom we saw just now, and he pointed out, or rather agreed when I pionted out, that with reference to London hospitals, particularly the Fulham Hospital, the number of beds occupied sank below 20, and yet you seem not so, and yet the same thing was found to go on ?—I do not attach very much importance to that evidence. 2993. To what evidence ?—To the evidence with reference to the Fulham Hospital acting as a centre with these small number of patients in conjunction there. 2994. In the diagram (figure 82) taken from Mr. Power's H report to the Local Government Board, 1855. That is the very report, is it not, which mentions the limit of the number of beds— the neighbourhood around the Fulham Small-pox Hospital is divided into special areas by circles of a quarter, a half, three-