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19
[1908
to the Medical Officer of Health of the district in which the child is born,
and that the persons upon whom the duty of notifying devolves are the
father of the child, if he is actually residing in the house where the birth
takes place at the time of its occurrence, and any person in attendance
upon the mother at the time of, or within six hours after, the birth.
Section 1 (2) enacts that notice is to be given by posting a prepaid
letter or postcard addressed to the Medical Officer of Health, or by
delivering a written notice at his office or residence, giving the necessary
information of the birth within thirty-six hours after the birth.
This Sub-section also provides that stamped addressed postcards
containing the form of notice are to be supplied free of charge by the
Council to any medical practitioner or midwife residing or practising in
the area who applies for the same.
By Section 1 (3) it is enacted that any person who fails to give notice
of a birth as required by the Act is liable on summary conviction to a
penalty not exceeding twenty shillings.
Section 1 (4) provides that the notification to be made under this
Act is in addition to and not in substitution for the requirements of any
Act relating to the registration of births.
Section 1 (5) enacts that the notification shall apply to any child
which has issued forth from its mother after the expiration of the twentyeighth
week of pregnancy, whether alive or dead.
A supply of stamped addressed notification forms is enclosed for use
in your midwifery practice, and it is suggested you should arrange, in any
case you are attending, for one to be handed to the person responsible for
notification in order that he or she may transmit the same to the Medical
Officer of Health. In the absence of any other person you yourself will,
of course, be held responsible for sending in the notification within the
time stated.
Additional stamped addressed notification forms will be supplied on
application to the Medical Officer of Health.
I am,
Yours faithfully,
Wm. F. DEWEY,
Town Clerk.
A fairly large number of medical men have resented the obligation to
notify placed on them by the Act, some saying that they should not be compelled
to disclose information which they only obtained through being the