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Vestry's officers, for disinfecting purposes, been required. It is eminently
desirable that information of such cases should be forwarded to
me at the commencement of the illness, and I shall be obliged if you will
give directions to ensure that result in future cases.”
To this letter I received a reply, dated 23rd March,as follows:—
‘The enquiry into the cases of Scarlet Fever mentioned in your letter
of the 3rd current, has taken more time than I at first expected it would
require. It appears that in neither of the cases quoted was direct notification
made to you, the Medical Officer of Health of the Parish in which
the sick relatives of the postal employes resided. The Medical Officers
of this department have forms supplied to them for the purpose, and
they are recommended to make use of them; but, as you have been
informed through your Vestry clerk, Mr. G. C. Harding, in the Secretary's
letter, dated July 20th, 1883, the Department is not prepared to employ
compulsion in this matter; indirectly, however, and as you have observed
in the 3rd clause of your letter, you were indebted to the care and
vigilance of the Postal Medical Officers of the respective districts for a
knowledge of the existence of the cases of contagious illness in question."
The statement that 1 was "indebted to the care and vigilance
of the Postal Medical Officers of the respective districts for a
knowledge of the existence of the cases of contagious illness in
question,” must be received with the qualification that the information
was not given till it could not well be deferred any longer,
and that it was not given in conformity with the instructions
issued in 1883; it being unreasonable to suppose that the Post
Office Authorities intended their medical officers to conceal the
existence of infectious disease until recovery, or that report of the
existence of such disease when the patient had recovered, could
be regarded as giving effect to an “anxious desire to meet as
far as may be the wishes of the Vestry,” viz., for “co.operation in
measures to secure the isolation of cases,” and for “assistance to
facilitate” (not by compulsion) “the removal of the sick to hospital
when they cannot be safely treated at home.” Your Vestry
not deeming the Chief Medical Officer's letter satisfactory,
directed my monthly report (No. 3., March 28th, 1887), dealing
with the question, to be forwarded to the Postmaster.General
(Mr. Raikes), together with a communication requesting that he
would be so good as to consider as to the desirability of issuing