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notification, with a view to enable them to form an estimate of
probable requirements of beds in the case of an epidemic, and the
Act requires the Medical Officer of Health to forward a copy of
the medical practitioner's certificate to the Managers "within
twelve hours after receipt thereof," so that the Managers will
henceforth have the desired information. The local authority
receives repayment from the Board of the fee paid for the
certificate, if the copy thereof be duly forwarded. The expression
"infectious disease" means small-pox, cholera, diphtheria, membranous
croup, erysipelas, scarlet fever, typhus, enteric, relapsing,
continued and puerperal fevers. Power is given to the local
authority to extend the definition of infectious disease by including
any other infectious disease after due notice, and with the
approval of the Local Government Board. The measure was
passed with practical unanimity by both Houses of Parliament, and
very much in the form in which the Bill was introduced. The
President of the Local Government Board consented to the request
of many Members to make it compulsory for the whole of England
and Wales. Opposition to this proposal having been threatened,
it was withdrawn, but by the desire of the Irish Members, the Act
was made applicable to Ireland in like manner as to the provinces,
the local authority being enabled to adopt it by resolution.
Already (May) the Act has been adopted by 469 urban sanitary
authorities, 331 rural sanitary authorities, and 18 port sanitary
authorities, a total of 818 authorities—the number of sanitary districts
being 1624. The population to which the Act applies is some
20,000,000, and thus far it has worked with remarkable smoothness.
Rarely, indeed, in the history of sanitary legislation has
so important a measure met with such universal approval in and
out of Parliament, in professional circles and in the medical and
the general press, &c. The Bill had no wanner supporters in the
Lower House than amongst the most "progressive" representatives,
who were quick to discern that it was framed in the best
interests of all classes of the community. This remarkable consensus
of support is the more surprising, considering how little
progress appeared to have been made towards the ripening of