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affected, will mean an enormous amount of work when an epidemic of measles
arises, and a good deal even if there are only a moderate number of cases.
"The duties of the Council and the Medical Officer of Health and of his
staff, are briefly defined in Article IX. of the Regulations. If the Medical
Officer is to take an active part in this home visitation, it will be necessary to
have a vehicle at my disposal, which I could also use to enable me to take a
greater personal interesi in the cases of tuberculosis. I would be willing to
arrange for a motor, if £150 yearly are allowed me for the services of chauffeur,
petrol, renewal of tyres, and.running repairs. A similar arrangement is found
to give satisfaction in neighbouring localities.
"In any case, the services of another woman officer will be required in the
Public Health Department. She should preferably be a three years' trained
nurse, who has obtained a sanitary inspector's certificate."
My offer was not entertained. So I am unable to take the active part
in this work which the Government require Medical Officers of Health to do.
However, a letter was addressed to the Local Government Board stating that:
"Although the Council has issued the required notices, they consider it very
hard for this Order to be forced upon them under the present circumstances, as
the Medical Officer of Health has estimated it will entail an expenditure of at
least £300 a year to carry out these regulations properly," and asking if the
Order could be suspended for the duration of the war. To this the Board
replied on 16th December, 1915, stating that "it was felt necessary to issue the
Public Health (Measles and German Measles) Regulations, 1915, because of
the recent heavy mortality from measles, especially among young children,
more particularly among children under the age of school attendance, and of
the large number of cases which have occurred amongst the troops stationed in
various parts of the country, that all possible steps should be taken in order to
reduce the incidence and fatality of the disease, and it was hoped that with a
minimum of outlay much good might be attained by the procedure prescribed
by the Order."
At the Council meeting of the 28th December, this paragraph of the
Sanitary Committee was referred back and further considered by my Sanitary
Committee on January 5th, 1916, who then reported to the Council of the 25th
that:—" In view of the reply received from the Local Government Board,
this Committee takes this opportunity to explain that, of the expenditure of
£"300 a year, £150 was associated with an offer of your Medical Officer to
purchase a motor car, provided this latter sum was contributed yearly by your
Council for its maintenance. He pointed out that the provision of a motor car
would enable him to take an active personal interest in visiting both cases of
tubercle and measles.