View report page

68
on the 1st January, 1909. Under these regulations a partial
system of compulsory notification dealing with the inmates of
Poor Law Institutions and persons under the care of Poor Law
Medical Officers came into operation. This was followed in the
early part of 1911 by the Public Health (Tuberculosis in Hospitals)
Regulations, 1911, which came into force on the 1st May, 1911 and
provided for the compulsory notification of cases of pulmonary
tuberculosis occurring amongst the in-patients and out-patients
at Hospitals. In November, 1911 the series of orders was completed
by the issue by the Board of the Public Health (Tuberculosis)
Regulations, 1911, extending (and to some extent supplementing)
the partfal compulsory systems already in force so as to include all
cases of pulmonary tuberculosis occurring in the practice of medical
men. Under these regulations it is now the duty of every medical
practitioner (with certain specified exceptions) to notify every
case of pulmonary tuberculosis occurring in the course either of
his public or his private practice.
With the regulations the Board issued a circular letter to
local authorities which deals with pulmonary tuberculosis which it
is pointed out " is now generally recognised as a communicable
disease. It has, however, certain special characteristics which
raise new administrative problems and some of the measures which
were appropriate to diseases notifiable under the Infectious Diseases
(notification) Act, 1889, and the Public Health (Lond.) Act, 1891,
are hardly applicable to pulmonary tuberculosis. It was necessary
therefore that special methods should be applied to the disease and
the Board felt as they explained in their circular letter of the
22nd March last, that the objects in view could be best attained
if the procedure were by stages and by a gradual development of
administrative machinery."
Accordingly in 1908 they issued regulations limited to cases of
pulmonary tuberculosis occurring amongst the inmates of Poor Law
Institutions or amongst the care of district medical officers. In
March of the year 1911 further regulations were made extending the
system of notifications to cases occurring amongst the in-patients
or out-patients at hospitals or other similar institutions for the
treatment of the sick which are supported wholly or partially,
otherwise than by the contributions of the patients (or of their
relatives or guardians) and otherwise than from rates and taxes.
Object of Notification.
The primary object in requiring notification is to enable the
local authority to assist in the eradication of the disease and the
Board desire to take this opportunity of offering certain observations
as to the ways in which local authorities can render assistance.