View report page

155
[1912
Thus for the first time in the history of this country as a whole was this
disease made compulsorily notifiable.
It was with peculiar pleasure that the Medical Officer of Health welcomed this
Order of the Local Government ' Board, for so long ago as 1891 at a Conference held
at Portsmouth he advocated the compulsory notification of this disease. His
advocacy, however, met with strenuous opposition, and, indeed, his was the only
voict that was raised in favour of the proposal. But times have changed since then,
and as he warned the Conference, so has it turned out, that the notification of
pulmonary tuberculosis would assuredly be one day made compulsory ; and, indeed, not
only has this come to pass but in fact at the present moment, all forms of tuberculosis,
are now so notifiable. It is strange but nevertheless true that several Medical
Officers of Health present at that meeting have since become fervent supporters
of the notification of tuberculosis, while the Secretary of that meeting is at the
present time the Medical Officer of the Local Government Board, although, in all
fairness, it should be said that at that time he expressed no opinion on the subject.
During the year 611 notifications were received under this set of Regulations.
Disinfection of Houses and Rooms after Phthisis.—For
many years it has been customary to disinfect premises after cases of
Pulmonary Tuberculosis, but as there was no notification of the disease, its
presence was not known in innumerable instances, and therefore houses were
only disinfected at the request of the head of the family to which the patient
belonged. For some years, however, it has been customary to abstract from
the death returns the addresses in which deaths from consumption had
occurred, and to offer to the head of the family the services of the Council's
staff to disinfect the rooms, bedding and clothing. This offer was usually
accepted, but strange though it may appear, in some cases it was refused.
During 1912, the number of houses disinfected was 554, and of rooms 798.
In 1905, the number of houses disinfected was 283, and of rooms 380 There
has, therefore, been a gradual and progressive increase in the number of these
disinfections.