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The Coroner, (Dr. Edwin Smith): 'Being a milk-roundsman,
that is not a very pleasant thing to reflect Upon.'
Dr. Bronte: 'No, anything but thait, when it is a case of
a man delivering milk, for every time he coughed or sneezed
he would be disseminating the tubercle. It was a very undesirable
occupation both from his own point of view and
also that of the public safety.'
"This was not a notified case, and was therefore unknown to
the Public Health Department, but the Committee are possibly
unaware that beyond asking the man to relinquish his work as
a milk-roundsman no steps could have been taken to protect the
public even if the case had been notified, even though, as also
reported to have been stated by Dr. Bronte—' There must have
been coughing and sneezing for months, and a consequent dissemination
of germs.'
Powers of the Public Health Authorities.
"The Local Authority can now enforce notification. Notification
was at first permitted as a voluntary measure, but in
Sheffield a local Act, permitting of compulsory notification of
Pulmonary Tuberculosis was passed, subject to the proviso that
none of the sections in the Public Health Acts relating to infectious
diseases should apply to Tuberculosis. In 1908, under the
powers contained in the Public Health Acts 1875 and 1896 and
the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, the Local Government
Board issued an Order requiring the Medical Officers of Poor
Law Authorities to notify Pulmonary Tuberculosis coming under
the care of the Guardians.
"In 1911 an Order was issued requiring the notification of
cases of Pulmonary Tuberculosis occurring among in-patients
and out-patients at hospitals or similar voluntary institutions, and
in 1912 an Order was issued consolidating and amending the