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?]

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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$JVi>i»;u-y 13,1904 Lambatli, Dr. Vernon, who was my neighbouring colleague, and his results are given in a report by him. \ Ni-wshoime 2600. Was it a report to the Local Government Board ?—No, it is a report' which he gave to the Society of Medical Officers of Health. A 2601. But that is not what you spoke about. You said that you had traced the cases, and traced them to maladminirti ation ?—I said that I had traced individual instances to maladministration, and in some other instances I detected contact at a later period with what is most serion.^ in small-pox outbreak, namely, missed case^. B 2602. You were a busy practitioner, no doubt, and your tracing of cases did not extend to anything like the whole of the cases ?— Oh, no, because some of them were in Lambeth as well; we were two contiguous districts. 2603. You did not trace the whole of the cases in your district, C did you ?—Certainly T did. 2604. As a matter of fact, however well a hospital is conducted, it is impossible, is it not, to prevent some comnmnication between the outside and the inside?—It is impossible to prevent communication, but it is perfectly possible and practical, and is usually done, to D prevent the conununication disseminating disease. 2605. But I mean to prevent a communication which it is not intended to take place. Of course, there is some necessary commu- nication \Ahich takes place under safeguards. You cannot always ensu e that those safeguards will be carried out, c:in you ?—We do E en.-ure it in the va«t majority of hospitals. It is only when there is careless administration that the mistakes happen. 2606. What I am pointing out is that it is impossible to ensure that every member of your staff' will be careful, I mean they are fall ble ?—iln thavast majority of instances it is actually done. It is F a difficult and onerous task. i 2607. Uo you mean that every time a nurse goes out she changes her cothes, has her bath with the proper disinfectant and takes disinfectant clothes with her. You can say you believe that it is done. What I am putt n^ to you is that it is quite impossil)le to O secure observation of your rules in every case?—Our experience shows that it is done and that the cases in which mistakes occur are very exceptional indeed. MhOS. Then you differ from Dr. Savill and numerous other writers all of whom have said that it is a matter of practical impos;- bility ?—I aui i]im.e cer;ain they are wrong and one has the experien(^3 of the vast majority on the other side. -2'oi)J. Ljg lue pan this to y.)u. When you have got a lon-^ f'ontage! along the high road, a big frontage to a footpath, it i ; practically impossible, is not it, to prevent illicit communication ?—I I$