The Small Pox Hospital does not seem to be too
careful about its patients. A little girl, Elizabeth Bellue, admitted to the hospital in May last, and removed ou the 24th May to the convalescent branch, has, by the admission of the hospital authorities themselves, disappeared they know not how,—they can only conjecture that the door was open, and that she went out of it. At first the hospital authorities tried to persuade the child's father that another little girl,—who did not recognize him and was not recognized by him,—was his daughter ; but they had afterwards to admit that she was furnished with parents who did recognize her, elsewhere. Six charges of grave general negligence and mal- administration of a different sort are also brought against this hospital, which are now under investigation by two special commissioners of the Local Government Board, Mr. Henley and Dr. Buchanan. But as regards the child, the negli- gence seems to be admitted. Indeed, the attempt to foist off another child upon the father appears to imply a general hap- hazardness of view with regard to the children, who are not even allowed to "sort themselves," but sorted tentatively and erroneously by the presiding authorities. It is a very serious thing to break down the confidence of the public in the care taken by the managers of these great hospitals for infectious disease,—for this confidence is almost our only hope of stopping the spread of epidemics in the poorest and most thickly-populated parts of our great cities.
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