A manual of hygiene, public and private, and compendium of sanitary laws : for the information and guidance of public health authorities, officers of health, and sanitarians generally / by Charles A. Cameron.

Date:
1874
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A manual of hygiene, public and private, and compendium of sanitary laws : for the information and guidance of public health authorities, officers of health, and sanitarians generally / by Charles A. Cameron. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    30/522 (page 18)
    MEDICAL SUPERINTENDENT OFFICER OF HEALTH np CONSULTING SANITARY OFFICER ' The Public Health Act of 1874 empowers each local authority to appoint, if required to do so by the Local GovemZThl^rl a medical superintendent officer of health. In the orde s issued to the local authonties by the Local Government Board ?he former are directed to elect a consulting sanitary officer and this officer, I presume, is the equivalent of medical sunerinte^dpne officer of health. The duties' of this officer are briTdefined m the order of the Local Government Board. I Sot heln regretting that the Public Health Act of 1874 does not J otit for the appointment of a consulting, or rather superintendent med.cal officer of health for every district containTn^ 100 Ooo inhabitants and upwards. I have the greatest respect foi- the Irish dispensary physicians-they are a medical corps of which any na ion might be proud; but still the great majority of Them ha^e not devoted their attention to sanitary science.' ]/the year 1867 College of Surgeons, I strongly advocated the employment of the dispensary physicians as medical officers of health; but at the same time, I insisted upon the importance of having a sniail Z^^ltlrt''^''''^ sanitarians'employed as sup^rinLTnt tn f^^.*^'' ''^T ?' -^^'^^ Government Board it is stiU open to urban and rural authonties to unite or agree in appointing the same person as consulting sanitary officer for sevS d st^icts Such an officer should be debarred from private practice, but Si n^'o^ffl'^'f ^ appointment^ as the following.- Medical Officer to an Hospital or other public institution, Pro- fessor or Lecturer in a University or Medical School, Medical l^rTJX X '%r'¥<^-^ «f tl^e Contagious Diseased Preven S^r the ITkalf N •''-^'p'' the Factory Acts, or Inspector under the Alkali Nuisance Prevention Acts. For two vears before the passing of the Public Health (Ireland) Act, many students, and even graduates in medicine, speculating on the pro- bability of employment being created under some such measure, ^ffit 'n^'^^ themselves for appointments as sanitary officers. One gentleman, of high medical attainments, has worked with me for nearly two years with the sole object of acquirin<. fuU information to enable him to act as a health officer, pure and SSh A^'of f87fdisappointed with the Public I consider that the medical officer of health should confer with the consulting sanitary officer on all important matters relating to epidemics and nuisances, and the means for their abatement before submitting his report thereon to the sanitary ZZty In all serious nuisance cases, where law proceedings are neces- sary the evidence of the sanitary and sub-sanitary officers ?n court should be strengthened by that of the consulting sanitary