§ Major ADAMasked the President of the Local Government Board if he would state the number of infectious hospitals provided by the various local sanitary authorities in England and Wales, their cost for erection and maintenance, and the number of patients admitted over a convenient 29 period of years; and whether, in view of the diversity of the skilled and medical experience which exists on the subject and the cost to the ratepayers which is involved, he will cause an inquiry to be made into the whole question of the usefulness of infectious hospitals, other than small-pox hospitals, as a means of preventing the spread of disease, and generally, in view of the extended experience which now exists on the subject, into the advantages or disadvantages which may be found to attend their use?
§ Mr. BURNSI am not at present in possession of complete information on the points mentioned in the first part of the question. I may say, however, that by the General Order which will very shortly be issued in pursuance of Sub-section 2 of Section 68 of the Housing and Town Planning, etc., Act of last Session, the County Medical Officer of Health will be required to inquire into and report upon the hospital accommodation in each county and upon any need for the provision of further accommodation. As regards the second part of the question, I am advised that there can be no doubt as to the utility of isolation hospitals in the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases, when conjoined with good administration in regard to the other means necessary to prevent the spread of infection, among which the careful search for overlooked or non-notified cases of the same disease bears an important part.