[Letters to the Water Cure Journal, and other papers, by John Gibbs : being the sequel to "Letters from Graefenberg" / by the same author].

  • Gibbs, John, of Camberwell.
Date:
1847-1856
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Letters to the Water Cure Journal, and other papers, by John Gibbs : being the sequel to "Letters from Graefenberg" / by the same author]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The president of the Board of Health has given nojtice of a “ Bill to continue the Board of Health fo? one year/’-' This joh will be opposed, and, it is to be hoped, defeated. The few duties of this Board should be transferred to the Home Office. Until the Board of Health be put down as a public nuisance, we shall be continually troubled with pro- posals for all sorts of expensive and impertinent jobs. I am, sir, your obedient servant, JOHN GIBBS. Maze Hill Cottage, July 9, 1B56.' “ Mr T. Duncombe said, he was much of the same opinion as the hon. gentleman who had just sat down. He could not give his vote for the bill on the ground laid down by the hon. member opposite (Mr. Greene)-namely, that the Board of Health would expire next year. The hon. member for Leeds had endeavoured to alarm the House by representing that some dire calamity would befall the country if the Board of Health were altogether to expire. Before, however, the House or the country felt any alarm upon the subject, it would be well to inquire what that board h^d done,.what it had cost the country, and what it proposed to do During this session he moved for a return, in order to ascer- tain what the board was about. Since 1848 the act was applied to nearly 300 towns, during the five years for which that act was passed. The act was then renewed for another year, and to the end of the next session of Parliament. In 1853 the act was ap- plied, by order of the General Board of Health, to six towns, and by order of the Privy Council, to three towns, making together nine.towns; in 1854 and 1855 the act was applied, by order of the board, to thirteen towns, and by order of the Privy Council, to six towns, making altogether twenty-eight towns from 1853 up to the present year; and the expenses incurred amounted to ^36,000, being a very pretty sum to be dealt with for these towns. It Was how proposed to continue the board for three years longer. .The last bill did not propose to renew the board for more than tWQ years, one.of which had already expired. He did not know whether there was any member present who was what is called an administrative reformer. He aid not see the honourable and learned* member for Sheffield. [‘ Hear, hear,’ and laughter.] That honourable and learned member was going to reform the Administrative Reform Association itself [hear, hear]; he ought, therefore, to be here. He is going to set us all to rights, not only in Leadenhall street, but in New Palace Yard, at Somerset House, at the Admiralty, at the Horse Guards, and at Downing street. But if the honourable and learned gentleman would come to this neighbourhood, he would find in a corner of a street a little hole called the Board of Health [laughter], and where he would find comfortably ensconced a near relation of the Prime Minister, a brother of a Cabinet Minister, and the relative of another Cabinet Minister—all very snug berths for Ministerial patronage to be- stow. [Hear, hear.] No wonder Ministers want to continue the Board of Health. [Hear, hear.] The honourable member for Lancaster says, ‘Continue the board for another session.’ Why, I undertake to say that before the discussion closes, the right honourable gentleman below me (Mr. Cowper) will jump at the proposition and be anxious to accept the boon for another year. But if the chairman of the Administrative Reform Association would just call in at the Board of Health he would find those three gentlemen I have named sitting there, and if he were to ask them what they were about, and say to them—‘You cost the country a great deal, and we have a right to ask you what you are about ?’ I am sure the right honourable gentleman the member for Hert- ford would reply—‘ That is the great difficulty. [Cheers and laughter.] We have nothing to do; we want to know what we are to do, and how we are to humbug and delude Parliament, in order tp get it to continue the board. We have one plan in our head; we are going to adopt the cowpox throughout the country, and wo mean to superintend it. [Laughter.] We had also another plan, which we tried to accomplish; we proposed that the presi- dent of the Board of Health should be president of the new council of medical men.’ But that bill (said the honourable member) has jail a sudden dropped) so that one of their supports is gOhe. But there is one more chance, and what, the blouse Will'ask', is that? Why, the Home Department proposes to transfer the administration of the Burial Act to the Board of Health [laughter]—a very pretty sequel!. First, you superintend the general health of the people; next, you promote vaccination; then you would preside over the medical board; and then, when the curtain drops, you come to the Burial Board—the last shot you have. [Loud laughter.] I am against all the powers which this bill confers. Let the people do the work themselves. I oppose the board on any terms. It has got one year to live; I hope it will be its last, and that we shall never hear of it again. [Loud cheers.]” “The House then divided, when the numbers were— For going into committee 61 Against it Ti Majority —12 The bill was consequently lost.” “Mr. Cowper said that, under the circumstances, he should adopt the suggestion of the right honourable gentleman the mem- ber for Lancaster, and propose a continuance bill for one year. The statement of the honourable member for Finsbury as to the Expenses was not correct. He could assure the House that the only desire of the Board of Health was to do some work [laughter] for the benefit of the public.”
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