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220
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1912.
Appeal
Committee.
Under section 212 of the Metropolis Management Act, 1855, the Council is required to appoint
an Appeal Committee to hear and decide appeals under that Act. This section of the 1855 Act is also
applied by statute to appeals made under the Metropolis Management Act, 1862, and under sections
37, 41 and 43 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891. An appeal to the Council is also provided
for by section 6 of the Metropolis Management Act Amendment Act, 1890, and the Council has referred
such appeals also to the Appeal Committee.
During the year 1912 the Appeal Committee heard five appeals against orders made by metropolitan
borough councils. In two cases the appeal was allowed in respect of part of the Order appealed
against and dismissed as regards the remainder. In two cases the parties agreed as to an Order being
made by the Appeal Committee varying the Order of the local authority. In the remaining case the
appeal was dismissed.
Midwives.
By section 8 of the Midwives Act, 1902, every council ot a county or county borough in England
and Wales is constituted a local supervising authority over midwives within the area under its jurisdiction.
The duties of a local supervising authority are:—(1) to exercise general supervision over all
midwives practising within the county or county borough ; (2) to investigate charges of malpractice,
negligence or misconduct on the part of any practising midwife ; (3) to suspend from practice any
midwife if such suspension appears necessary in order to prevent the spread of infection ; (4) to report
at once to the Central Midwives Board the name of any midwife convicted of an offence ; (5) during
the month of January in each year to send to the Central Midwives Board a list of all midwives who,
during the preceding year, had notified their intention to practise within the county; (6) to keep a current
copy of the roll of midwives accessible at all times for public inspection; (7) to report at once to the Central
Midwives Board the death of any midwife or any change in the name or address of any midwife ; and
(8) to give due notice to the effect of the provisions of the Act to all persons using the title of midwife.
In addition to these duties, every local supervising authority is by section 5 of the Act compelled
to pay its proportion of any deficit which may occur in the expenses of the Central Midwives Board,
provided such deficit is approved by the Privy Council.
In order to carry out its duties of general supervision, the Council has appointed two women
inspectors, who are duly qualified medical practitioners, to pay visits of inspection to midwives
practising within the County, as well as to make special investigation into any case of puerperal fever
occurring in the practice of a midwife, and to attend if possible any inquest held upon the body of
a woman or infant upon whom a midwife had been in attendance. During the year 1912 there were
116 cases of puerperal fever in the practice of midwives, and 91 inquests were held in which midwives
were concerned, 7 being on the bodies of women, and 84 on the bodies of children.
Charges of malpractice, negligence or misconduct on the part of eight midwives were investigated
during the year, with the result that the Central Midwives Board was informed that in three instances
prima facie cases (malpractice, negligence and misconduct, 1 case ; negligence and misconduct, 2 cases)
had been established, the charges in the remaining cases not being sustained. The Board did not
announce its decision with regard to the charges during the period covered by this report.
During 1912 the Central Midwives Board announced its decisions with regard to three certified
midwives against whom charges had been brought during the preceding year, the name of one of the
midwives being removed from the roll, one woman being censured, no action being taken in the
remaining case.
During the year ended 31st December, 1912, 528 midwives notified to the Council their intention
of practising within the County during the year ; and, in addition to these, 9 notices were received from
persons who had acted as midwives on specific occasions, and 18 notices from midwives who intended
to practise within the County during periods shorter than a year.
Before 1st April, 1910, a woman who was not certified under the Midwives Act, 1902, was not
prohibited from attending cases of childbirth, providing she did not take or use the title of midwife
or any title of a similar nature ; but on that date sub-section 2 of section 1 of the Act came into
operation. This sub-section prohibits a woman who is not certified under the Act from habitually and
for gain attending women in childbirth, legally qualified medical practitioners and persons rendering
assistance in cases of emergency being exempted from the operation of the section.
It became necessary during the year 1912 to institute legal proceedings against 8 women for
infringing the law in this respect. Convictions resulted in 7 instances, fines amounting to a total of
£6 16s., with £7 5s. 6d. costs, being inflicted. In the remaining case the summons was dismissed.
The accounts of the Central Midwives Board showed an adverse balance for the year 1911, and
the Council was called upon in May, 1912, to pay a sum of £88 6s. 8d. as its proportion of this deficit.
There are certain services closely allied to that of public health which it is convenient to review
in this chapter. They are (a) infant life protection, and (b) diseases of animals. The powers of the
Council in these matters are exercised bv the Public Control Committee.
Infant life
protection.
The Council administers (except in the City of London) Part 1. of the Children Act, 1908. A
staff of 2 male and 8 women inspectors is employed under the direction of the chief officer of the public
control department upon this work.
The duties of the Council under the Act include the institution of inquiries as to persons who
undertake the nursing and maintenance of infants, the fixing of the number of infants which may be
kept in a dwelling as to which notice has been given, and the appointment of infant protection visitors
to inspect places where infants are kept. The Council is required to satisfy itself as to the proper maintenance
of the infants, and may arrange for the removal from a notified house of an infant improperly
kept. Notice has to be given to the Council in cases where one infant is received, and the age limit
of infants is 7 years. The Act also contains a provision making void any policy of insurance on the