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The following is an extract of a letter from the Local
Government Board, dated October 5th, 1912, to the British
Medical Association, defining the position of the Medical
Officer of Health as regards the Dispensary, which should,
once for all, dispel any doubt in the minds of the Medical
profession as to the important duties the Medical Officer
of Health will be rightly called upon to perform in connection
with the Dispensary :—
Inasmuch as the schemes for the provision of sanatoria
and dispensaries are to be undertaken by the Local
Authorities it is essential, both on administrative grounds
and also in order to secure the co-ordination of treatment
and of preventive measures, that the general supervision
and control of the schemes should be in the hands of the
Medical Officer of Health. The Board, however, contemplate
that the Tuberculosis Officer of the Dispensary
or the Medical Superintendent of the Sanatorium or
Hospital will, in clinical matters, be allowed independence
of action.
It would only be in occasional cases where the Medical
Officer of Health has had requisite experience and has
sufficient time to enable him to act as Head of the
Dispensary as well as to perform his ordinary duties that
he would undertake so to act. If such cases should occur
and the Local Authority wish to arrange accordingly the
Board do not consider that they could object to the
arrangement.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
(Signed) F. J. Willis,
Assistant Secretary.
It is evident, therefore, that so far as the Local Government
Board is concerned the Medical Officer of Health is
to be recognised as the Administrative Head of the Local
Tuberculosis Service. The Medical Officer of Health has,
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