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Department by the Consultant Chest Physician where the
patient had proved to be most unco-operative. This infectious
tuberculous patient was a mother of three grownup
and three small children; she had discharged herself
from hospital against medical advice and returned home.
This anomalous position was reported to the Public
Health Committee who decided to ask the Metropolitan
Boroughs' Standing Joint Committee to press for legislation
which would give local authorities in London similar
powers in this respect to those outside the Metropolis.
The Standing Joint Committee made enquiries from constituent
councils from which it appeared that over the past
few years only a small number of cases had arisen either
of patients refusing treatment or of discharging themselves
from hospital. In view of this, and having regard
to the cautionary note in some of the replies about the
need for care in exercising compulsory powers of this
nature and the likelihood that a patient, in hospital on a
Court Order would not take kindly to treatment or derive
benefit there from, the Standing Joint Committee considered
that any cases of this nature should continue to be dealt
with by persuasive means.
The position remains, therefore, that an infectious
tuberculous patient living outside London can, if
necessary, be compulsorily removed to hospital, but one
residing in the densely populated area of the Metropolis
cannot be so controlled. At a time like the present
when there is every hope that, if rigorous control
measures are pursued, tuberculosis may be reduced to
negligible proportions within a generation, it would seem
that every available weapon should be used to give this
age-old scourge its coup-de-grace.
Typhoid Fever.
In September a notification was received of a case
of typhoid fever in a young child in Peckham. Specimens
of faeces obtained from the mother were examined and
found to be negative. The father was working and lodging
away from home, but as he had recently visited his home
the Medical Officer of Health for the area in which he
was staying was informed. Specimens from the father,
however, also proved to be negative.
Further careful enquiries revealed that members of