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the qualifications, &c., of Medical Officers of Health. But the
County Councils appear to have no power to appoint Medical
Officers of Health, excepting in London, where, under Cross's
Acts (Artizans and Labourers' Dwellings Improvement Acts)
they can appoint such officers, but only for the purpose of
carrying those Acts into effect.
" Regarded from the public health point of view, the scheme
of the Bill is not all that could be desired, but provisions which
might well have been included, powers which might well have
been granted, have for the time been withheld for fear of the ill
consequences likely to arise from overloading the machine at
starting.' The controlling powers given to the County Councils
on other than sanitary matters are considerable, and Mr. Ritchie
anticipates that ' at some future time it may be desirable to cast
upon them powers even more extensive.'
" Having regard to Sanitary Administration,it is to be regretted
that the powers and duties of the Metropolitan Asylums Board,
so far as regards the provision of Hospitals for Infectious
Diseases, should not have been transferred to the County
Council. In corporate towns the municipal body is the sanitary
authority, and has power to provide hospitals for the infectious
sick, and this power will remain to their successors, the District
Councils. Nominally, the Vestries have similar power in
London, but with such an adequate and admirable system of
hospitals as we possess, under a central authority, the Asylums
Board, it would be an iniquitous waste of money were they to
attempt to duplicate those establishments. It is true that relief
afforded to the sick in them does not pauperise the recipients
now, as it did formerly; but, legally, the Managers have been
brought into existence to deal with the pauper class only, and
any connection with pauper government is undesirable in
measures designed for the prevention of infectious disease.
" Objection has been made that Poor Law administration has not
been transferred to the County Council, but such an addition to
the otherwise onerous duties of the Council is undesirable. There
seems to me scope, in London, for separate administration in