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14
opinions expressed. It will be seen at once that nearly the
whole of the Authorities who have adopted the notification
are Urban, and their Medical Officers express views more or
less in favour of having Measles notified, whilst in the very
few Rural Authorities on the list their Medical Officers have
hesitated to say much as to the benefit that has been received
from its adoption. The important points are these, (1) They
all say that Measles is much less satisfactory in its notification
than Scarlet Fever and other diseases on the list, (2)
That the early infectiousness of the complaint, as early even
as the incubation stage, is a great obstacle to the prevention
of the disease from spreading, (3) That effective isolation in
hospital would be too costly for many authorities to bear,
(4) That many think it is a very good thing to have notification
even if you have not hospital accommodation, as the
cases have so much better attention and care when visits are
made to them by the officials of the Authority, (5) That the
feeling in the matter is highly progressive, in the way that
all infectious diseases, it is thought, ought to be reported to
the local centre, (6) That if the full notification of all the
cases is expensive the first case in the family might be the
one alone notified.
"Personally, I think that if any district could be benefited
by this notification it is ours with its poor and overcrowded
population.
"If the notification embraced all the cases, I estimate the
number to be 1,500 in the year, but if only the first cases,
400. I would advise the Committee to recommend that
only the first case in the family be paid for; and to support
the petition to the Local Government Board with that
qualification.
"Your obedient Servant,
"GEORGE MILLSON."
The Vestry after a discussion decided not to petition the Local
Government Board, as it was thought not advisable to have Measles
included in the list of Infectious Diseases compulsorily notified.