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70
The new regulations may be summarised as follows :—
(i) Every medical practitioner attending or called on to visit
any person is to notify the medical officer of health of the sanitary
authority for the district in which the case occurs with 48 hours
any case of pulmonary tuberculosis.
(ii.) Every school medical inspector within 48 hours of
inspecting any children attending a public elementary school
shall notify to the medical officer of health for the area within
which the school is situate all cases of pulmonary tuberculosis of
which he becomes aware during the course of inspection.
(iii.) The medical officer of health of each sanitary authority
is to keep a register of all cases of pulmonary tuberculosis notified
to him. The register is to be open to inspection only by a person
specially authorised.
(iv.) Upon the receipt of a notification the medical officer of
health either personally or through an officer acting under his
instructions is to make such enquiries and take such steps as may
appear to him to be necessary or desirable for preventing the spread
of infection or for removing conditions favourable to infection.
(v.) The medical officer of health of each metropolitan
borough is to send to the medical officer of health of the County of
London a weekly statement of the notifications received by him.
(vi.) The sanitary authority on the advice of its medical
officer of health may supply such medical assistance, facilities and
articles as mav be necessary for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis,
for preventing the spread of infection and for removing conditions
favourable to infection and may publish and distribute information
respecting the disease and the precautions to be taken against
the spread of infection. The sanitary authority is also empowered
to appoint any additional officers.
The new regulations it is to be anticipated will be found to still
further assist local authorities in combating consumption, more
especially in relation to the provision of sanatorium benefit contained
in the National Insurance Act, which will come into operation
in July, 1912.
During 1911, 888 notifications of pulmonary tuberculosis were
received relating to 444 cases which are set out in the following
table, which gives particulars of the notifications received under the
Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1908; Public Health
(Tuberculosis in Hospitals) Regulations, 1911 and the voluntary
notification system :—