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Public Health. 229
and fined 2d. for every working day during the six months preceding the issue of the summons and
were ordered to pay £15 15s. costs.
The number of slaughterhouses, cowhouses and knackers' yards licensed during the year was
223 slaughterhouses, 171 cowhouses, and 4 knackers' yards.
By-laws relating to the businesses of a fried fish vendor, fish curer and rag and bone dealer
respectively, were made by the Council under the powers conferred by Section 9 of the London
County Council (General Powers) Act, 1908, but the approval of the Local Government Board
thereto had not been received at the end of the year under review.
During the year the Council made a by-law, under section 39 (1) of the Public Health (London)
Act, 1891, defining the builder as the person responsible for any infringement of the by-laws already
made under that Act relative to the construction of any water closet, privy, ashpit, cesspool or receptacle
for dung and the proper accessories thereof. The by-law in draft had been previously circulated among
the several local sanitary authorities in the county, outside the City of London, and no objection
having been raised thereto, it was subsequently submitted to and approved by the Local Government
Board.
All the above services are administered under the direction of the Public Health Committee.
Under section 212 of the Mertopolis 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 1913, no appeals came before the Appeal Committee.
By section 8 of the Midwives Act, 1902, every council of 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 1913 there were
91 cases of puerperal fever in the practice of midwives, and 103 inquests were held in which midwives
were concerned, 6 being on the bodies of women, and 97 on the bodies of children.
Charges of malpractice, negligence or misconduct on the part of four midwives were investigated
during the year, with the result that the Central Midwives Board was informed that in two instances
prima facie cases of negligence and misconduct had been established. The charges in the two remaining
cases were not sustained, but one of the midwives concerned was censured by the Committee. The
Board announced its decision with regard to the charges established in the two cases referred to, the
name of one woman being removed from the roll, whilst the other woman was censured.
During 1913 the Central Midwives Board also announced its decision with regard to a certified
midwife against whom charges had been brought during the preceding year, the name of the midwife
being removed from the roll.
During the year ended 31st December, 1913, 536 midwives notified to the Council their intention
of practising within the County during the year ; and, in addition to these, 14 notices were received from
persons who had acted as midwives on specific occasions, and 24 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, other than a legally qualified medical practitioner or
a person rendering assistance in cases of emergency, who is not certified under the Act from habitually
and for gain attending women in childbirth.
It became necessary during the year 1913 to institute legal proceedings against three women
for infringing the law in this respect. Convictions resulted in each case, fines amounting to a total of
£2 11s., with £1 7s. costs, being inflicted. A conviction was also obtained in January, 1913, in the
case of a woman against whom it had become necessary during the preceding year to take legal
proceedings. The woman was fined 10s. and 14s. costs.
By-laws
under the
Public
Health
(London)
Act, 1891.
Appeal
Committee
Midwives