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on-Trent, Nottingham, Jarrow, Llandudno, Warrington, Blackburn, Norwich,
Rotherham, Blackpool, Leicester, Derby, Lancaster, Oldham, and Preston. The
city of Edinburgh obtained similar powers in 1879; and not to speak of Towns,
&c. in England, the Authorities of which are now applying to Parliament for
Local Acts, Mr. E. Gray, the Member for County Carlow, has, at the instance of
the Irish branch of the British Medical Association, given notice of a Bill, which
it is hoped will shortly secure for the whole of Ireland the advantages now
enjoyed by the above-mentioned places. The British Medical Association,
comprising thousands of medical practitioners, is favourable to legislation, and
the assistance given by Government in the passing of the Local Acts furnishes
conclusive evidence of the favour with which the principle they involve is
regarded by the Central Sanitary Authority.
The Vestry desire to initiate a movement for obtaining through that Authority
similar powers for the Nuisance Authorities of the Metropolis, powers which
they believe to be absolutely necessary for the proper discharge of their duty, and
for the protection of their constituents.
Without entering into details it may be stated that the "Local Acts" referred
to require some person, usually the medical man in attendance, or the occupier or
other person where no medical man has been called in, to report to the Nuisance
Authority the occurrence of infectious illness in any inmate of a building used for
human habitation—the medical certificate or declaration (for which a small fee is
payable) setting out the name and address of the sick person, the nature of his
illness, and the name of the occupier of the house or room, &c.
The system has worked well, and has not been attended with greater difficulties
than might have been expected from its novelty. The testimony obtained by
the Vestry goes to show that it has had the effect of diminishing the amount of
infectious disease, especially in those Towns where hospitals for the sick have
been provided—for however useful the mere disclosure of illness may be, as
enabling the Health Authority to take measures for preventing the spread of
disease, the system is robbed of half its value by failure to provide hospitals for
those sick persons who cannot be properly isolated at home. It often happens,
however, that persons who cannot be isolated at home refuse to go to hospital, the
Vestry, therefore, while inviting the Vestries and District Boards of the Metropolis
to combine for the purpose of securing, by legislation, the compulsory disclosure
of all cases of certain dangerous infectious diseases, propose also to submit to the
Conference the desirability of such further legislation as may be required for the
compulsory removal of the sick to a hospital, when necessary. This may be
effected by an amendment of section 26 of "The Sanitary Act, 1866," empowering
any Justice, by order, on a certificate signed by a legally qualified medical
practitioner, to direct the lemoval to a hospital, at the cost of the Nuisance
Authority, of any person suffering from any dangerous infectious disorder, and
being without proper lodging or accommodation enabling him to be properly
isolated so as to prevent the spread of disease, or to be properly treated..
To give effect to the 26th section, a hospital for the reception of the sick must
be provided within the district of the Nuisance Authority (in other words, within
the district of the Metropolis,) and this the Nuisance Authorities, separately or in
combination, have power to provide under section 37. Practically, however, the
hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylum District are available, and the Nuisance
Authorities may (under section 15 of the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1879)