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36
PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.
This disease has received considerable attention during the past few years. The
following Regulations have been issued:—
1. The Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1908.
2. The Public Health (Tuberculosis in Hospitals) Regulations, 1911.
3. The Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1911.
(1) These Regulations (1908) provide for the notification of cases of this
disease occurring amongst the inmates of Poor Law Institutions or amongst persons
in the care of District Medical Officers.
Very few notifications have been received under these Regulations, and only in those
cases where destitute persons have landed from a vessel suffering from this disease, and
subsequently have entered a Poor Law Institution, giving the name of the vessel as the
last address from which they came.
(2) Those of May, 1911, provide for the notification of cases of this disease
occurring amongst the in-patients or out-patients of those hospitals supported wholly
or in part by voluntary contributions.
Several cases were notified from the Seamen's Hospital. Sailors suffering
from this disease went there for treatment, and were either admitted or treated as
out-patients; in each case the notification was sent to me.
(3) Those issued in November, 1911, and which came into force on January
1st, 1912, provide for the notification of every case of this disease by any Medical
Practitioner attending on, or called in to visit any person ; he shall, within 48
hours of first becoming aware that such person is suffering from Pulmonary
Tuberculosis, complete, sign, and transmit a notification of the case to the Medical
Officer for the area within whose district the place of residence of the person is
situated.
Under this order, the name of any person landing from a ship and being attended
by any Medical Practitioner will be notified to me.
Article VIII.—Upon the receipt of a notification under these Regulations, or
under the Poor Law Regulations, or under the Hospital Regulations, the Medical
Officer of Health shall make such enquiries and take such steps as may appear to him
to be necessary or desirable for preventing the spread of infection, and for removing
conditions favourable to infection:
Provided that nothing in this Article shall be deemed to authorise a Medical
Officer of Health or other Officer to take any of the steps herein mentioned at any
Poor Law Institution or any Hospital.
Article X.—Nothing in these Regulations shall apply to or impose any duty
or obligation upon any Medical Practitioner acting in his capacity as:—
(a) Medical Officer of a Poor Law Institution or District Medical Officer.
(b) Medical Officer of a Hospital.