13. Mr. CHANCELLORasked how many deaths have occurred during the past six months at the Crystal Palace and what diseases have been diagnosed as the causes of these deaths, giving the numbers attributed, respectively, to each disease?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAThere have been 120 deaths among men at the Crystal Palace during the last six months—117 from pneumonia following influenza, one from cerebrospinal meningitis, one from cerebral abscess, and one from Addison's disease. The average number of men stationed at the Crystal Palace is roughly about 5,600. During the course of six months, the number of men passing through the Crystal Palace would be much greater than that. As my hon. Friend will observe, the main, practically indeed the only, mortality during that period has been from an epidemic of influenza which affected, I regret to say, over 1,000 men.
14. Mr. CHANCELLORasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if his attention has been called to the number of deaths occurring at the Crystal Palace from pneumonia following inoculation; and whether he will have an inquiry made by persons other than officials into these deaths and into the suitability of the Palace for its present purpose?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI gave the mortality figures in answer to the previous question. Of the 117 men who unhappily died from pneumonia following influenza, none were inoculated against influenza or pneumonia. Prior to the outbreak of influenza at the Crystal Palace, the average daily sick rate had been slightly less than 3 per cent.
Though the building was not originally intended as a living place it has been satisfactorily modified subsequently to its being taken over at the beginning of the War, and the health reports prior to the present outbreak of influenza do not point to any serious objection to its continuing to be used for the purpose for which it was acquired. A very recent sanitary inspection of the building has been made as a result of which certain minor defects in ventilation are being remedied.
Mr. CHANCELLORI understand none was inoculated against influenza or pneumonia. Have any of them been inoculated at all?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI do not know what the hon. Member means. None has been inoculated against influenza or pneumonia. If the hon. Member wants to know whether some time or the other some have been inoculated against small-pox, perhaps he will put that on the Paper.
Mr. CHANCELLORI do not want to know that. I want to know whether any of them have escaped inoculation against typhoid fever?
Sir F. HALLIs it not a fact that the percentage of deaths has not been larger than the percentage in all other large buildings where troops are housed?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI cannot say.