Volume 2

First-[second] report of the Royal Sanitary Commission.

  • Great Britain. Royal Sanitary Commission
Date:
1869-1874
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: First-[second] report of the Royal Sanitary Commission. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    kind, but iu reference to the general work of the health officers I take it for granted that they would enjoy the power to order anything that might be needful, under urgent circumstances, so far as, for instance, regards the arrest of an epidemic, the shutting up of an over-crowded house, the closing of a cesspool, and other matters of tliat kind. 11.684. Would you give the health officer tlie power to do those actions without any reference to the local authority ?—Yes, without any reference to the local authority. 11.685. Though such a course might involve an expenditure which the local authority would even- tually have to defray ?—Yes. 11.686. Do you think that that could be done without causing ill-feeling ?—It would cause great offence and ill-feeling no doubt, but I see no other means of getting over the difficulties affecting sanitary works. 11,687. (^Chairman). Do you wish to add anything to what 3'ou have akeady stated to the Commission ? —I wish to state that this very day, iti the Birming- ham Daily Post, there is aii account of the meeting of the Birmingham board of guardians yesterday, when five medical oihcers gave a detailed account of their work during the last year, the number of patients visited, the attendance, and the pay, and the number of midwifery cases. It is very important as regards all that I have said, and shows how much Avork a town board of guardians finds it possible to get from medical men for 205Z. per annum :— T. P. Heslop, Esq.,M.D. 7 April 1870. District No. 1, 1 Dr. Suffield. 1 District No. 2, Mr. Jackson. 1 District No. 3, Dr. Suckling. District No. 4, Mr. Jones. District No. 5, Mr. Darwen. Total for the year. No. per day. Total for the year. No. per day. Total for the year. No. per day. Total for the year. No. per day. Total for the year. No. per day. All Cases - - - - 3,574 7,421 6,678 7,341 6,858 New Cases . . . - 1,.594 4* 2,191 6 2,937 8 3,082 8| 2,398 6J Domiciliary Visits . - - - 2,924 8 9,454 25| 5,695 15i 8,665 23| 7,403 20i Patients.attending Surgery 1,.544 4 4,651 12| 2,107 5| 3,028 3,642 10 Medicines, &c. sent without seeing Patients 1,628 ^ 1,014 92 3 1,750 4 468 643 1% Midwifery Cases - - - - 16 77 117 127 92 Total of Patients attending daily - 41 25* 1 33i 32 * The exact average number is twenty-five and five-sixths. Average number of patients attended daily by each medical officer - 29| Estimated at ------- 30* Sum paid to each surgeon . - . - £205 In another table, in which the weekly averages of attendances by each medical officer were shown, the average number of the whole of the patients attended daily was set forth as being 30i. The witness withdrew. (96.) The Rev. Thomas B. Whitehurst examined. 11.688. {Chairman.) You are chairman of ihe board of guardians at Warwick, are you not ?—I am. 11.689. Could you tell us the number of parishes in that union ?—Thirty-five. 11.690. Of which five parishes have local boards of their own, ?—Warwick, St. Mary, St. Nicholas Leamington, Lillington, and Milverton. 11.691. Are there also some towns of size, such as Kenilworth, which are within the union without any local boards ?—There is no local board except in those five parishes. 11.692. What is your number of inspectors of nuisances ?—We have three inspectors of nuisances. ] 1,693. What is the number of medical officers ?— We have three medical officers. 11.694. Has the board of guardians at Warwick efficiently carried out its powers under the Sanitary Act with regard to the removal of nuisances ?—The plan which we have adopted is by paying our relieving officers for inspecting all their districts. We pay two of them in the most outlying districts 141. a year each, and one who has less to do 10/. They report to us, and we take steps immediately. 11.695. Who are your inspectors of nuisances?— The relieving officers. 11.696. And you think that they are better than the police, for instance, or than any other body ?—I think so, because their duties lead them very much amongst the poor, and necessarily introduce them to all objectionable thingSu 11.697. Are you in the habit, in the execution of your duties as a board of guardians, of acting by com- mittees in any cases ?—Yes. 11.698. Will you state the plan Avliich you adopt in that way ?—On any particular point a committee is elected by the board. That may be for only one object. I think that iu a sanitary point of view it would be better to have a standing committee for the year, because there are very many different views on sanitary matters, and possibly what one committee might disapprove of, another might not see an objec- tion to, which might lead to litigation. 11.699. Do you think that your board of guardians would be able to carry out all functions of sanitary administration through the whole union, if an Act gave them such powers ?—Yes. 11.700. And do you think that it would be a good body to execute such duties ?—I think it would be the best body. 11.701. I understand you to think that if they had siich duties imposed upon them they should act by a permanent committee ?—I think so. 11.702. Do you mean committees elected for the year, like the assessment committee ?—Yes. I think it would prevent anything like difference of opinion. There are so many different opinions upou sanitary matters that I think it would be far better vested in one body. 11.703. What do you think would be the objection to acting by committees on sanitary matters as you say you habitually do in other matters that is to say by committees appointed for particular purposes and occasions ?—There are committees appointed for one X 4 Bev. T. B. Whitehurst.