[Report 1893] / Medical Officer of Health, Paul U.D.C.

  • Paul (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1893] / Medical Officer of Health, Paul U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [7] Notification and Isolation.—Hospital Districts and the “ Isolation Hospitals Act of 1893.” It will be seen that the cost of the Infectious Diseases Notification Act during the first year of its adoption has been a heavy one ; the fees on account of medical cerificates amounting to £37 15s. This is money well spent, seeing that to the operation of the Act we have been indebted for prompt information of the above cited cases of Infectious disease, have had our attention drawn to undesirable sanitary conditions, and have been able to guard against extension of Smallpox, and to some extent to modify the spread of the Scarlet Fever epidemic. But in the latter case it has been pointed out how largely our efforts have failed for want of the proper means of isolation. In my Special Report on the outbreak I drew attention to this and concluded by urging the duty of combining with neighbouring Authorities to obtain proper Hospital accommodation. Since I wrote, the County Council has acquired, through the provisions of the “ Isolations Hospitals Act of 1893,” the power of forming such convenient Combination Districts and of providing Hospitals thereto. I welcome the action of this power, because I am convinced that it is the most economical and reasonable (and, I might add, only possible) way of dealing with the question. A nursing staff can then be kept at Truro, and drafted to the various County Hospitals as required. The time has also come, it seems to me, when we may fairly ask the Legislature to give us proper protection from outside districts by making the Infectious Diseases Notification Act compulsory throughout the Kingdom. When thus protected allround, it is, I think, probable that with no greater outlay than the cost of notification during this last year we shall be provided with the means of promptly isolating such early cases of ■epidemics as may reach us. The difference will be that in place of an exhaustive expen¬ diture on numberless notifications we shall be engaged in providing a greatly reduced number of the sick with proper attendance and nursing and with increased opportunities of recovery. It is certainly more profitable to spend our money in this way, and it is surely our duty to spare our people the cost of such widespread sickness as we have lately seen and the pain of the many deaths that ensue. 5, Morrab Road, Penzance, January 2 7th, 1894. I am, Gentlemen, Faithfully yours, RICHARD DAVEY BOASE, M.O.H. Paul U.S.D. P.S.—Three new cases of Scarlatina have been notified this month, all at Xewlyn. F. RODDA, STEAM PRINTER, PENZANCE.