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216
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1912.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Public Health.
Powers and
duties of the
Counoil.
Many important duties devolve on the Council in relation to public health. These duties are
set forth in various Acts of Parliament, the principal Act being the Public Health (London) Act, 1891.
This Act authorises the Council to deal with offensive businesses, to make orders adding to the list of
infectious diseases notifiable under the Act, and to license slaughterhouses, cowhouses and knackers' yards.
The Council is also empowered to take proceedings with respect to nuisance caused by a sanitary
authority in removing, treating or disposing of house or street refuse, and to act in default when a sanitary
authority fails to carry out its statutory duties. The Act also empowers the Council to make by-laws
for regulating (a) the conduct of offensive businesses, and the structure of the premises on which they
are being carried on ; (b) the removal or carriage of offensive or noxious matter or liquid ; (c) the removal
and disposal of refuse, etc.; and (d) the construction, etc., of water-closets, earth closets, privies, cesspools
and receptacles for dung. The Council is also required under the Act to pay half the salaries of local
medical officers of health and sanitary inspectors, and may make representations to the Local Government
Board as to the number of sanitary inspectors appointed. Copies of all periodical reports of
medical officers of health must be supplied to the Council, and in the event of any medical officer failing
to carry out this requirement the Council may refuse to contribute towards his salary. The Council
is authorised by section 6 of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1908, to contribute
towards the salary of a health visitor appointed by a metropolitan borough council any sum not exceeding
one-half of such salary. In addition to the powers which the Council possesses under the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, to deal with offensive businesses, section 9 of the London County Council (General
Powers) Act, 1908, authorises the Council to make by-laws for regulating the conduct of the businesses
of a fish curer, vendor of fried fish, and rag-and-bone dealer. Further, under part VIII. of the London
County Council (General Powers) Act, 1903, the Council is authorised to license premises for receiving
horses for slaughter or dead horses. The supervision and licensing of common lodging-houses devolves
upon the Council under the Common Lodging Houses Acts, 1851 and 1853, and the London County
Council (General Powers) Acts, 1902 and 1907. In addition, the Council licenses seamen's lodginghouses
and enforces the by-laws with regard thereto made by it under section 214 of the Merchant
Shipping Act, 1894. Powers with regard to safeguarding the purity of London's milk supply are given
under various Orders and Acts, and are as follows :—Under the Diaries, Cowsheds and Milkshops Orders
of 1885, 1886 and 1899, the Council has power to secure the proper lighting, ventilation, cleansing,
drainage and water supply of cowsheds and dairies and the sanitary condition of milk stores and milkshops.
The Orders also forbid, under penalties, the use, for human food, of milk from a diseased cow,
or from a cow with tubercular disease of the udder ; under Part V. of the London County Council
(General Powers) Act, 1904, the Council is empowered to seize and slaughter, on payment of compensation
to the owner, any cow in a London cowshed suspected of tuberculosis of the udder ; under part IV.
of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1907, the Council is authorised to take within and
outside the county and examine samples of milk entering London ; to proceed to the place from which
any sample proving tuberculous was sent to London ; to examine the cows thereat, and, if any are found
affected with tuberculosis of the udder, to prohibit the sending into London of further supplies of milk
therefrom. The Act also contains provisions for the isolation of cows suffering from tuberculosis of the
udder and for notice to be given of such cows to the Council's medical officer.
In addition to the duties enumerated above, part IV. of the London County Council (General
Powers) Act, 1904, and part III. of the London County Council (General Powers) Act, 1909, authorise
the Council to represent to the Local Government Board when a sanitary authority has made default
in carrying out its duties in regard to the purifying and cleansing of articles and premises and to
the accommodation for the storage of food.
The majority of the Council's powers and duties referred to above do not extend to the City
of London, and, in the matter of the examination of milk under part IV. of the London County
Council (General Powers) Act, 1907, the Council has powers in the City concurrent with those of the
City Corporation.
Treatment of
tuberculosis.
One of tne most important subjects relating to public health which engaged the attention of
the Council during the year was that of tuberculosis.
Provision had been made in the National Insurance Act, 1911, for the treatment of insured persons
and their dependents suffering from tuberculosis and in April, 1912, the Departmental Committee on
Tuberculosis issued an interim report in view of the coming into force of this Act. They recommended
that for the prevention, detection and treatment of the disease, existing public health administration
should be supplemented by the establishment and equipment of two units linked up to the general
public health and medical work carried on by the medical officers of health, (1) the tuberculosis dispensary,
and (2) sanatoria, hospitals, etc.
The principal recommendations of the departmental committee were to the following effect—
" That with a view to encouraging the early provision and equipment of tuberculosis
dispensaries, capital grants should be made up to four-fifths of the amount required, provided
that this sum should generally not exceed £1 per 750 population, or an average of £240 per
dispensary."