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78
cation of Infectious Diseases to their Divisional Surgeons, who
should be instructed to report all such cases to the Medical
Officer of Health. This information would enable the Medical
Officer in many cases to persuade the parents to allow the removal
of the sick to hospital. Sometimes the Medical Officer would feel
constrained to put compulsory powers of removal into operation,
not often probably. I fully expect a ‘Compulsory Notification
Bill,. ere long, with, probably, increased powers of compulsory
removal when required for the patient.s benefit, or for the security
of the public."
The Medical Officer courteously acknowledged the receipt of
the above communication, and promised to place the matter
before the Company again : and there the matter rests.
VOLUNTARY NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS
DISEASES AND ITS RESULTS.
Prevention of the spread of infectious diseases being a chief
duty appertaining to my office, constant efforts have been made,
in the absence of compulsory legislation, to obtain by voluntary
information knowledge of the occurrence of such diseases.
Having in the preceding section stated the steps recently taken
to increase the sources of such information, it will not be out of
place here to mention the sources from which, in the past, information
has been obtained.
1. By virtue of an arrangement entered into between your Vestry and the
sub.district registrars, I receive notice of every death from the graver infectious
diseases (small.pox, scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhus, enteric and
simple continued fevers), within a few hours after registration. It may
be observed that when a death from an infectious disease has occurred,
there is always a probability of finding cases of illness in the same
house or in the locality, and such discovery not unfrequently results
from the Sanitary Inspector.s visit. Now and then the registration of
a death has been unduly delayed—sometimes apparently with the object
of temporary concealment of the cause of death. It would be well
if registration within a limited period, say twenty.four hours, were
made compulsory.
2. The Relieving Officers, by direction of the Board of Guardians, report all
cases of the graver infectious diseases that come within their
cognizance, and generally these are cases that have been, or are about
to be, removed to the hospitals of the Asylums Board, admission to