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68
31s/ May, 1906.
" Dear Sib,
re VOLUNTARY NOTIFICATION OF PHTHISIS.
" I am directed by the Public Health Committee to invite
"you to notify to this Department any cases of Pulmonary
" Phthisis (Consumption) which may occur in your practice.
" The Public Health Committee have had under their con"
sideration the importance of taking such measures as will tend
" to reduce the mortality from this disease, render its spread
" from person to person less likely, and lead to an improvement
" in the conditions under which Phthisical patients may be
" living.
" On receipt of notifications a competent inspector will
" call at the house, make a few necessary inquiries, and
" examine the sanitary condition of the house*. A card con"
taining precautionary instructions will be left with the patient
" or relatives. Where possible, disinfection will be carried out
" on the death or removal of a patient.
" In no case will there be any official interference with the
" patient, either at home or at work, beyond the visit of the
" Inspector and the distribution of circulars containing an
" epitome of precautionary measures to be adopted in the
" house. In cases where the medical attendant thinks such
" visits, &c., unnecessary or undesirable, the certificate of
" notification should be endorsed " Not to be Visited," which
" request will be complied with.
" Notifications of cases may be made on special forms (a
" book of which will be forwarded on application), or by letter,
" but it is hoped that the official forms may be adhered to as
" far as possible.
" A fee of 2s. 6d. will be paid to the medical attendant for
" each case notified occurring in his private practice, and Is. if
" the case is in his public practice or if it has been previously
" notified.
" It will be understood that in both their private and
" public practice, medical practitioners will only notify cases
" whose usual place of residence is in the Borough of Lewisham.
" I would like to remind you that the Council have
" already made arrangements whereby specimens of suspected
" sputum may be examined free of charge if they are sent to
* Note.—Copy of the card is included in the Appendix.