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made pulmonary tuberculosis (consumption) universally compulsorily notifiable, and
the taking effect of the provisions relating to the Sanatorium benefit under the
National Insurance Act, 1911.
Notification: The Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1911.—
These regulations came into operation on the 1st of January, 1912, but as they
had been issued towards the end of 1911, time and opportunity had been given for their
consideration by the Public Health Committee, and for the making of preparations
for carrying them out properly.
In December, 1911, all medical men in the Borough had been notified that
on January 1st, 1912, every case of consumption met with in practice must be
notified. In addition each had been provided with a supply of forms upon which to
make notification.
So far as the staff of the department were concerned, they were prepared to deal
with any additional cases regarding which information might be received, in the
same way as when the more limited forms of notification only were in force.
Having regard to the fact that the leading up to full notification had been more
or less gradual and that since the middle of 1906, when the voluntary form was
introduced in the Borough, the scope had been steadily widened by the inclusion
first of Poor Law Cases (in 1909) and of Hospital Cases (in May 1911), it was not
anticipated that there would be any marked increase in the numbers.
The actual increase over 1911 was as a matter of fact 154, total number of new
cases notified in 1912 being 690 as against 536 in the previous year.
As the following table shows, the increase was entirely in connection with cases
seen in private practice or at the hospitals. In the Poor Law Cases there was a
distinct falling off, which was not unexpected since notification of these has been
compulsory for some time and the great bulk amongst the persons seeking relief had
already been discovered and notified.

*Made compulsory in May, 1911.
† Do. do. 1st January, 1912.
That a similar effect has been produced by the voluntary form of notification is
distinctly brought out by the table. It was at the beginning that the medical
practitioners made notification, and the numbers dropped off in the later years, not