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24 Vestries, &c. (out of 38), being directly represented by
delegates, and other six by their Medical Officers of Health.
Twenty-three medical officers were present.
The Conference adopted the following resolution, among others,
unanimously, viz.:—
"That in the interests of public health, and to enable nuisance authorities
to discbarge the duty of checking and preventing the spread of
infectious diseases, such as small-pox, scarlet fever, etc., provision
should be made by legislative enactment to secure the compulsory disclosure
to the said authorities of all cases of such diseases immediately
after their occurrence."
A copy of the resolutions was sent to the several Vestries and
District Boards, to the Commissioners of Sewers for the City
of London ; and to the Councils of the British Medical Association,
the Society of Medical Officers of Health, and the Social
Science Association : the Vestries, moreover, were asked to
appoint delegates to go in deputation to the President of the
Local Government Board to present the resolutions. This
was done, and the deputation waited on the President (Mr.
Dodson), April 23rd, 1881, having been introduced by Mr.
Hastings, M.P., and Dr. Farquharson, M.P. The resolutions
were spoken to by Major-General Boileau, for the Sanitary
Authorities ; by Dr. Alfred Carpenter, J.P., for the Council
of the British Medical Association ; by Dr. Bristowe, F.R.S., for
the Society of Medical Officers of Health ; by Mr. Michael, Q.C.,
for the Social Science Association ; by Mr. Ernest Hart, for the
National Health Society ; and by myself, at the invitation of the
deputation, the President having requested information on the
subject of "hospital accommodation" for the infectious sick
(small-pox).* In his reply, the President promised to give the
matter brought to his attention his best consideration.
Not only did the Sanitary Authorities warmly, and with
complete unanimity, take up and support the principle of
notification, on this occasion, but the Guardians of the Poor,
to whom the resolutions of the conference had been forwarded,
may he said to have followed suit, for the attention of the "
*Vide page 36 ante.