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97
The letter addressed to the President was as follows:—
"Sir,
"I am instructed by the Kensington Vestry to inform you that, having
recently had fresh experience of the ill results arising from the want of early
information of the occurrence of Scarlet Fever, they have come to the conclusion
that the time has arrived for making a renewed effort to promote
legislation with a view to the Compulsory Notification of Infectious Diseases
generally.
"The Vestry, knowing that the Local Government Board are favourable
to the principle, and being of opinion that the subject is one that can be
dealt with effectually by the Government only, have further instructed me
respectfully to request that you would be pleased to take into your consideration
the desirability of bringing in a Bill, next Session, General or Local
(Metropolilan) to provide for Compulsory Notification. This subject, I am to
state, was fully considered by the Sanitary Authorities of the Metropolis at a
Conference held at this Town Hall, in March, 1881, when the following
resolution was unanimously adopted:—
" 'That in the interest of public health, and to enable Nuisance
Authorities to discharge the duty of checking and preventing the
spread of infectious diseases, such as small-pox, fever, &c., provision
should be made by legislative enactment to secure the
compulsory disclosure to the said Authorities of all cases of such
diseases immediately upon their occurrence.'
"The proceedings of the Conference are set out in a Memorandum,
which the Vestry have requested their Medical Officer of Health to prepare;
and in two recent reports, Nos. 9 & 10, dated respectively September 12,
and October 12, by the Medical Officer, copies of all of which are herewith
enclosed for your information.
''I have, etc."
A communication was also addressed, same date, to the
several Vestries and District Boards, in which it was stated
that your Vestry had "not thought it necessary at present to
propose a further Conference on the subject, the expression of
the views of the Sanitary Authorities in 1881 having been
unanimous, and there being no reason for supposing that those
views had undergone any change." It was suggested, therefore,
that each Board should pass a Resolution re-affirming the
necessity for Compulsory Notification, and forward the same to
the Local Government Board,