for a certain time in rotation, and their business, as the name of the society implies, is to visit and give assistance to the destitute and sick poor in their respective districts; and when they discover, or are informed of persons being affected with fever, they report the same to the medical gentlemen attached to the fever society, who visit the patient said to labour under the disease; and if it turn out to be the case, they immediately write an order to the officer certifying that the disease is fever, and desiring him to get the person or persons removed as soon as possible to one of the hospitals, and to get the house fumigated and white-washed. I believe also, that the society is often at the expense of washing their bed and body clothes, and supplying new bed-clothes, fresh straw, &c. Besides these societies, the functionaries of the Dispensaries are also very active in reporting fever patients. In short, a note from any medical person recommending a patient to the hospital, and certifying that the disease is fever, is attended to by the officer of the society, and he is at the expense of their removal to the hospital, and also in the name of the society becomes bound to us for the patients sent in, agreeably to the regulation of the house already mentioned. I

* I may mention that the chairs belonging to the Royal Infirmary are always used for the conveyance of fever patients.

am sure nine out of ten of the patients admitted have been recommended by the above-mentioned officer. Although I have stated that it is wished, for the sake of regularity, that applicants for admission should be reported at the hospital by a certain hour, and that they should bring a note of recommendation along with them, nevertheless these regulations are not strictly adhered to; for knowing it to be the wish of the benevolent managers of this institution, that its officers should do every thing in their power both to afford speedy relief to those already labouring under the disease, and to facilitate the means employed for checking its progress in the town, when we have accommodation, (and it has only been in a few instances that the admission of patients has been postponed for a day or two,) our doors are never shut to proper objects, at any hour, or whether they bring recommendations or not.

Patients on admission are carried directly to the ward where they are to lie. The nurses immediately undress them, and wash their face, breast, arms, feet and legs, or, if need be, their whole body with tepid water and soap; they then, if they have brought no change of linen with them, which is very rarely the case, are supplied with a shirt or shift, and night-cap, belonging to the house, and put to bed. A list is taken of all the articles of clothing they bring with

them, to which is added, their name, date of admission, and the number of the ward they lie in ; their clothes are then removed to an apartment on the ground-floor of the west wing appropriated to that purpose their linens are thrown : into cold water until taken out to be washed ; their clothes are either washed or well fumigated as may be deemed requisite. The nurses are supplied with shirts, shifts and night caps, to change the linen of patients as often as it appears necessary. They do not receive their own linens till dismissal; their clothes they receive when they are allowed to get out of bed, as we are not provided with hospital dresses.

The patients, after being put to bed, (unless their symptoms are very urgent, when they are immediately attended to,) are allowed to lie undisturbed till the evening, that they may recover from any faintness or fatigue that may have been induced by their removal to the hospital, so as to enable us to judge more accurately of the nature of their symptoms. Their cases are taken between 6 and 9 o'clock in the evening, when whatever appears necessary is ordered. Next morning, betwixt 11 and 1 o'clock, reports are taken, stating the effects of the prescription of the preceding evening, how they have passed the night, present symptoms, &c. ; these with the case and prescriptions are read to the physicians at the visiting

hour, which is from 1 to 2 o'clock,-when they inquire into the accuracy of the reports, make any additions they may judge proper, and give the necessary prescriptions. In this way there is a daily report drawn up of every patient in the house during the whole course of the disease. Besides the regular daily visits of the physicians, all the patients are seen twice a-day, morning and evening, by myself and the other resident medical officers. And when any alteration of symptoms requiring immediate attention has taken place in any of the patients, prescriptions are given in conformity to the directions left by the physicians, and these are inserted in a book for their inspection at their next visit. I am also in the habit of visiting the wards at uncertain hours, to see that they are in are in proper order, are well ventilated, and that the nurses are attending to their duty. In this way any untoward symptoms that may occur in any of the patients cannot remain long unknown to us. The operations of bleeding, arteriotomy, cupping and leeching, unless a particular time is specified in the prescription, are in general not performed till the evening.

It having been observed, that the disease was, in many instances, caught and propagated by the friends of patients visiting the fever wards in the Royal Infirmary; it was proposed, when this hos

pital was first opened, to exclude altogether the friends of patients from visiting them while in the hospital, or, at least, only to admit their nearest relations when the patients seemed likely to die. This regulation was for some time acted upon, but it was found impossible to continue it without great inconvenience, for there was constantly a mob around the door, exclaiming bitterly against the severity of the regulation ;-some threatening to have their friends removed, and declaring they would rather have them run the hazard of dying at home, than be prevented from seeing them during their illness,—and several indeed, obstinately refused to allow their friends to be removed to this hospital on account of the above regulation. Conceiving, that if many should act upon this principle, the danger to be apprehended to the community by allowing them to remain in their crowded, dirty, ill-ventilated hovels, would far exceed that to be dreaded by the occasional visits of their friends, when in a clean well-ventilated ward in the hospital, it was thought advisable to relax a little in the strictness of our regulations in this particular. We have accordingly been in the habit of allowing of the occasional visits of friends when it would not disturb the patients much, but never before they had asked and obtained permission from one of the medical attendants; and we always cau