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118
Conclusion.
"It will be noticed that Tuberculosis is excluded from the
-usual administrative procedure that is possible as regards other
infectious diseases owing, of course, to the character of the
disease, its chronic nature in many instances, and the hardship
that would result to Tuberculous persons if Tuberculosis were
treated as an ordinary infectious disease.
"Notification, its-elf, was only introduced very gradually, and
the results of notification in each particular class carefully considered
before further advance was made. Article XVI, moreover,
of the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations, 1912,
expressly protects the tuberculous person from hardship, but
exposes the public to the hardship of permitting easily infected
foodstuffs to be purveyed by infectious persons.
"Since the date of these Regulations, however, public
opinion has probably undergone a change in the direction of
realising the danger that arises from lack of care as regards
the handling of foodstuffs; and it is now probable that a modification
of the Regulations in the direction of preventing higHy
infectious tuberculous persons from remaining in such an occupation
as that of a milk-roundsman would be welcomed by the
public.
"I suggest to the Committee that it is now time that the
Ministry of Health make this very desirable and necessary change
in the Regulations governing the control of Tuberculosis."