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22
LONDON AUTHORITIES.
The City Greenwich Lambeth
Westminster Hammersmith Southwark
Chelsea Hampstead Stoke Newington
Finsbury Holborn Wandsworth
Fulham Kensington Woolwich
This list does not pretend to be by any means complete ; nor is it, because
great difficulty has been experienced in obtaining particulars from those
counties which do not possess a Medical Officer of Health. It is, however,
very suggestive of the widespread interest that is taken in the question
throughout the land, for it contains places whose populations approximate a
half.millon people, and others whose numbers must be reckoned almost by
hundreds.
During the last Session of Parliament a great step forward has been made
because for the first time it has recognised that the time has come when
statutory powers might be given to enforce the notification of phthisis. This
power was given to Sheffield, who foremost in this good work has prepared
hospital accommodation for its treatment.
The "Police and Sanitary Committee" in their report to the House of
Commons on their work during the Session make the following observation :—
" In the Sheffield Corporation Bill, the Committee have granted a clause
providing for the compulsory notification of phthisis, which has not been
hitherto allowed. They had evidence before them that a voluntary system of
notification had been in operation for some time, and that the Corporation had
the means and intentions of dealing with all cases that might be brought to
their notice. One of the medical advisers of the Local Government Board was
called as a witness by the Committee, and gave evidence in favour of the clause,
which your Committee allowed for a period of seven years, considering that the
experience thus gained would be of more than local value."
From this report we see that not only is the Local Government Board in
favour of notification but that Parliament has become alive to the necessity for
adopting more stringent measures to prevent the spread of the disease. It is
not difficult to foresee that other communities will before long be given similar
powers, although, as usual, it is more than likely that London will have to lag
behind the cities and boroughs of the country.
The course that is now being adopted by Parliament is much similar to
that formerly followed with respect to the notification of the infectious diseases,
for then as now powers were first given to individual sanitary authorities,
which were followed later by an enabling act, and finally by a compulsory
act.