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60
National Association for the Prevention of Consumption urges upon Public
Authorities generally to at least adopt voluntary notification. The communication
from the Kingston Board of Guardians urges the St. Pancras
Borough Council to pass a like resolution to them and forward the same to
the Local Government Board, the Resolution being— 'That application be
'made to the Local Government Board to include Phthisis in the list of
'notifiable diseases contemplated by the Infectious Disease Act, 1899, and any
'subsequent Act defining notifiable diseases, and that a copy of this resolution
'be forwarded to each Board of Guardians and Urban Councils in Great
'Britain requesting their co-operation in obtaining the object contemplated.'
This motion is stated to have been carried unanimously by the Board.
The communication from the Borough Council of Stepney contains the
following recommendation which was approved and adopted on the 28th March
last:— 'That the London County Council be informel that this Council con'tinues
in its opinion expressed in August, 1905, that it would be undesirable
'to adopt the system of voluntary notification of Phthisis, and believes that it
'would be inexpedient at the present time to add this disease to the list of
'compulsory notifiable diseases specified in the Public Health (London) Act,
'1891.'
It is very probable that the East End Boroughs have some fear of the expense
of the notification of Consumption, whether voluntary or compulsory. The
advantage here of compulsory notification as against voluntary notification
would be that instead of the cost falling directly on the Borough it would be
chargeable to the common poor fund so that the poorer Boroughs would be
relieved at the expense of the richer.
This appears to me a very important consideration from an administrative
point of view.
The Metropolitan Borough of the Incorporated Society of Medical Officers of
Health, which Branch includes amongst its members practically all of the
Medical Officers of Health in the Metropolis, on the 23rd March last, passed
the following resolution: 'That, in the opinion of the Metropolitan Branch of
'the Incorporated Societv of Medical Officers of Health it is desirable in the
'interests of the Public and for the prevention of the spread of tuberculous
'diseases of the lungs that such diseases should be compulsorily notifiable by
'medical practitioners to Metropolitan Medical Officers of Health.' This
resolution is intended to stop at notification and to give no power of interference
to public authorities beyond this.
I beg therefore to recommend—
That the London County Council be urged to put into force section 56
of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and make an order to
apply the notification section 55 of the Public Health (London)
Act, to Pulmonary Phthisis, throughout the Boroughs of London."
This recommendation was approved and adopted by the Borough Council
on the 16th May, 1906.