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and the Sanitary Authority have power, under Sections 60 and 61 of the
Public Health (London) Act, 1891, to do this, and to make compensation for
the articles destroyed.
4. As infectious diseases may be spread by the use of public carriages for
the conveyance of the sick, the Sanitary Authority should bear in mind the
provisions of Section 70 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and
should provide suitable means of disinfecting public vehicles which may have
been unwittingly or negligently used for the conveyance of persons suffering
from small-pox.
5. The Sanitary Authority should also bear in mind their powers under
Section 9 of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1885, as to dealing
with infectious diseases in any tent, van, shed, or similar structure.
6. Public notice should be given of the penalties to which persons are
liable on account of the exposure of small-pox patients, the use without
proper precautions of public carriages for the conveyance of persons suffering
from small-pox, or of the bodies of those who have died therefrom, the letting
of infected houses or rooms, the sale or sending about of infected things, or
the throwing into ashpits of infectious rubbish; and proceedings should be
taken by the Sanitary Authority in every case in which the provisions with
respect to the above matters are disobeyed. (See Public Health (London)
Act, 1891, Sections 63-65, 68-70, and 74.)
W. H. POWER,
Medical Officer.
Local Government Board,
September, 1901.
All the above measures were already being carried out in the City, with
the exception of those mentioned in paragraph 6.
On this point I advised that such notification was unnecessary and likely
to create considerable alarm, which in itself was a source of danger.
The whole of the Ward Schools, Infant Schools, Parochial and Private
Schools were inspected by your Medical Officer, and the names of all those
found to be inefficiently protected were forwarded to the various governing
bodies of these Institutions, with a request that they would obtain the parent's
consent to re-vaccination, a copy at the same time being sent to the Vaccination
Officer.
In only one case was any difficulty raised.
The result of this inspection was most satisfactory, inasmuch as it showed
that only 16.6 per cent, were unvaccinated, or only about half the percentage
for the whole Metropolis.