- Email: [email protected]
Expenses of delegates to congresses, etc.
34~
PUBLIC HEALTH.
based on the question: Are we making the most we can of the information derived from child welfare work ? A session was also organised by the Maternity and Child V~Telfare Group of the Society of Medical Officers of Health, the subject for debate being " The Prevention of Tuberculosis in the Child under five years of age." The principal speakers were Dr. Dixon, Dr. D. H . Mills and Dr. J. C. Spence. The Conference was preceded by a st~ort clinical course which had been arranged by the Maternity and Child Welfare Group of tl~e Society. Two. meetings were held at the Birmingham Children's Hospital and at the Maternity ttospital, Loveday Street, wMch were well attended. In conjunction with the Conference, visits were organised to the wide range of maternity and child welfare institutions with which Birmingham is so. excellently equipped. The delegates were generously entertained by the Lord Mayor of the City to a reception and~ dance, and also, by the Birmingham Health Committee. A~ garden party was held by the kind invitation of Mrs. William Cadbury. Much of the success of this wonderful meeting was due to the efforts of the Mayor and Corporation of Birmingham, who shewed a mos~ generous hospitality, and to the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. H. P. Newsholme) and the staff of the public health department, who made the fullest possible provision for the comfort and convenience of the delegates.
Expenses of Delegates to Congresses, Etc. E N the Local Government Act of W ' H1933 was passing through Parliament, a considerable amount of anxiety was felt in certain quarters as to the effect that might be produced by the provision relating to the attendance of members and authorities at conferences in the case of meetings called by professional or technical bodies. To this anxiety the Ministry of Health appears to have been alive and in the Local Government (Conferences) Regulations, 1934, just issued* have made provision for allaying it. According to Article 2, the powers conferred by section 267 of the Local Government Act, 1933, on local eStatutory Rules and Orders, 1934, No. 690. H.M. Stationery Office. Price ld. net.
AUGUST,
authorities other than parish councils to pay any reasonable expenses incurred by members or officers of the authority or of any committee thereof in attending a conference or meeting convened by one or more local authorities or by any association of local authorities shall extend to the following conferences or meetings :-(i) the annual conferences of the Association of Municipal Corporations, the Urban District Councils' Association, and the Rural District Councils' Association, the periodical meeting of the Public Assistance Conference, and any meeting of the council or any committee of any of the said Associations or the Public Assistance Conference ; and (ii) any other conference or meeting convened as aforesaid to discuss any matter connected with the discharge of t h e i r functions. The said power shall be exercised subject to the following conditions :-(i) the expenses of a member or officer shall not be paid by the local authority unless his attendance at such meeting or conference is authorised by them ; (ii) the local authority shall not pay the expenses of more than three members in respect of their attendance at a conference or meeting referred to in article 2 (i) of these regulations ; and (iii) the local authority shall not pay the expenses of more than two members in respect of their attendance at a conference or meeting referred to in article 2 (ii) of these regulations. A local authority other than a parish council may, in any case in which they consider it desirable to do so, incur any reasonable expense in purchasing reports of the proceedings of any conference or meeting the expenses of attending which may be defrayed under these regulations. In a word, as the Ministry phrase it in the circular (1424)*, addressed to town councils, urban district councils and rural district councils, that accompanies the regulations: " Where a local authority wishes to send members to a conference not expressly authorised by statute, and to charge the expenses in accounts which are subject to district audit, the position will be the same as before the commencement of the eH.M. Stationery Office. Price ld. net.
1934.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
Local Government Act, 1933. That is to say, it will be necessary to obtain the Minister's sanction under the proviso in sub-section (1) of section 228 of the Act of 1933, which has taken the place of tile Local Authorities (Expenses) Act, 1887."
The Infectious Disease Regulations, 1934 E C I A L importance attaches to the Public S PHealth (Treatment of Infectious Disease) Regulations, 1934, recentiy issued ~ and circular 1418 which accompanies them, for the reason that they aim at clearing up a difficulty from which at some "time or another every medical officer of health must have suffered. Briefly, what the regulations provide is that the London County Council, the council of every borough or urban or rural district, and every joint hospital board constituted under the Public Healtl{ Act, 1875, and having the powers of section 131 of that Act, shall have the same powers and duties in relation to the provision of hospitals or temporary places for the use of persons w h o are for the time being within their county, borough or district, as the case may be, and are suffering from infectious disease, as they h-ave for the use of the inhabitants of that county, borough or district. Amon_gst the reasons given by the Minister for making the regulations are that his attention has recently been drawn to certain cases in which an authority disclaimed responsibility for the treatment of persons temporarily living in their district, and sent such persons back to their homes although it was not denied that hospital treatment was required. It is pointed out that such a course is detrimental to the public health, inasmuch as it delays the provision of treatment and involves the risk of the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, however, no. legal obligation rested on a local authority providing a hospital in pursuance of section. 131 of the Pnblic Health Act, 1875, to receive into. that hospital a person suffering from infectious disease who is not an inhabitant of the district. Also the authority was not obliged to provide treatment for infectious disease, or to meet the cost of treatment otherwise provided, for an inhabitant of their district who is temporarily *Statutory Rules and Orders, 1934, No. 674. H.M Stationery Office. Price ld. net.
347
outside the district. There was, in fact, no general legal provision definitely placing the responsibility for the treatment of a person, who is found to be suffering from infectious disease while outside ttie .district of which be is an inhabitant, either on the authority of the district in which the disease is discovered or on that of the district of which he is an inhabitant. T h e method of making good the deficiencies in the older legislation is that shown, and it is to be hoped that the new provision will work with the smoothness and secure the satisfactory results anticipated by those responsilSle for drafting it.
Obituary. CHARLES FRANKS, M.D., BRUX., L.S.A., D.P.H.
HE Society records with great regret the death of Dr. Charles Franks, Medical Officer of Health of the County of Durham and a former President of the Northern Branch. Following some twenty years in general practice at Jarrow, he received his first appointment under the Durham County Council in 1917, when he became Assistant Tuberculosis Officer. Later, Dr. Franks was appointed Chief Venereal Diseases Officer for the County, and for some time after taking the Durham D.P.H., served as Deputy County Medical Officer to the late Sir Eustace Hill, whom he succeeded in 1930.
T
DAVID CHARLES LLOYD, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.
The death of Dr. D. C. Lloyd, Tuberculosis Officer for Cardiganshire under the Welsh National Memorial Association, is also announced with regret. After three years in general practice at Llanfairfechan, Dr. Lloyd specialised in tuberculosis. In 1915 he entered the service of the Memorial Association, and after various appointments became a tuberculosis physician for Cardiganshire, where he carried out much valuable work and contributed notably to the marked fall in the death-rate which occurred during the 20 years of his service. Dr. Lloyd was a Fellow of the Society of Medical Officers of Health, attached to the Welsh Branch.
DR. J. O. MURRAY has been appointed Medical Officer of Health of Rochester, in succession to Dr. S. I. Pritchett, who, has retired after 32 years' service.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
based on the question: Are we making the most we can of the information derived from child welfare work ? A session was also organised by the Maternity and Child V~Telfare Group of the Society of Medical Officers of Health, the subject for debate being " The Prevention of Tuberculosis in the Child under five years of age." The principal speakers were Dr. Dixon, Dr. D. H . Mills and Dr. J. C. Spence. The Conference was preceded by a st~ort clinical course which had been arranged by the Maternity and Child Welfare Group of tl~e Society. Two. meetings were held at the Birmingham Children's Hospital and at the Maternity ttospital, Loveday Street, wMch were well attended. In conjunction with the Conference, visits were organised to the wide range of maternity and child welfare institutions with which Birmingham is so. excellently equipped. The delegates were generously entertained by the Lord Mayor of the City to a reception and~ dance, and also, by the Birmingham Health Committee. A~ garden party was held by the kind invitation of Mrs. William Cadbury. Much of the success of this wonderful meeting was due to the efforts of the Mayor and Corporation of Birmingham, who shewed a mos~ generous hospitality, and to the Medical Officer of Health (Dr. H. P. Newsholme) and the staff of the public health department, who made the fullest possible provision for the comfort and convenience of the delegates.
Expenses of Delegates to Congresses, Etc. E N the Local Government Act of W ' H1933 was passing through Parliament, a considerable amount of anxiety was felt in certain quarters as to the effect that might be produced by the provision relating to the attendance of members and authorities at conferences in the case of meetings called by professional or technical bodies. To this anxiety the Ministry of Health appears to have been alive and in the Local Government (Conferences) Regulations, 1934, just issued* have made provision for allaying it. According to Article 2, the powers conferred by section 267 of the Local Government Act, 1933, on local eStatutory Rules and Orders, 1934, No. 690. H.M. Stationery Office. Price ld. net.
AUGUST,
authorities other than parish councils to pay any reasonable expenses incurred by members or officers of the authority or of any committee thereof in attending a conference or meeting convened by one or more local authorities or by any association of local authorities shall extend to the following conferences or meetings :-(i) the annual conferences of the Association of Municipal Corporations, the Urban District Councils' Association, and the Rural District Councils' Association, the periodical meeting of the Public Assistance Conference, and any meeting of the council or any committee of any of the said Associations or the Public Assistance Conference ; and (ii) any other conference or meeting convened as aforesaid to discuss any matter connected with the discharge of t h e i r functions. The said power shall be exercised subject to the following conditions :-(i) the expenses of a member or officer shall not be paid by the local authority unless his attendance at such meeting or conference is authorised by them ; (ii) the local authority shall not pay the expenses of more than three members in respect of their attendance at a conference or meeting referred to in article 2 (i) of these regulations ; and (iii) the local authority shall not pay the expenses of more than two members in respect of their attendance at a conference or meeting referred to in article 2 (ii) of these regulations. A local authority other than a parish council may, in any case in which they consider it desirable to do so, incur any reasonable expense in purchasing reports of the proceedings of any conference or meeting the expenses of attending which may be defrayed under these regulations. In a word, as the Ministry phrase it in the circular (1424)*, addressed to town councils, urban district councils and rural district councils, that accompanies the regulations: " Where a local authority wishes to send members to a conference not expressly authorised by statute, and to charge the expenses in accounts which are subject to district audit, the position will be the same as before the commencement of the eH.M. Stationery Office. Price ld. net.
1934.
PUBLIC HEALTH.
Local Government Act, 1933. That is to say, it will be necessary to obtain the Minister's sanction under the proviso in sub-section (1) of section 228 of the Act of 1933, which has taken the place of tile Local Authorities (Expenses) Act, 1887."
The Infectious Disease Regulations, 1934 E C I A L importance attaches to the Public S PHealth (Treatment of Infectious Disease) Regulations, 1934, recentiy issued ~ and circular 1418 which accompanies them, for the reason that they aim at clearing up a difficulty from which at some "time or another every medical officer of health must have suffered. Briefly, what the regulations provide is that the London County Council, the council of every borough or urban or rural district, and every joint hospital board constituted under the Public Healtl{ Act, 1875, and having the powers of section 131 of that Act, shall have the same powers and duties in relation to the provision of hospitals or temporary places for the use of persons w h o are for the time being within their county, borough or district, as the case may be, and are suffering from infectious disease, as they h-ave for the use of the inhabitants of that county, borough or district. Amon_gst the reasons given by the Minister for making the regulations are that his attention has recently been drawn to certain cases in which an authority disclaimed responsibility for the treatment of persons temporarily living in their district, and sent such persons back to their homes although it was not denied that hospital treatment was required. It is pointed out that such a course is detrimental to the public health, inasmuch as it delays the provision of treatment and involves the risk of the spread of the disease. Unfortunately, however, no. legal obligation rested on a local authority providing a hospital in pursuance of section. 131 of the Pnblic Health Act, 1875, to receive into. that hospital a person suffering from infectious disease who is not an inhabitant of the district. Also the authority was not obliged to provide treatment for infectious disease, or to meet the cost of treatment otherwise provided, for an inhabitant of their district who is temporarily *Statutory Rules and Orders, 1934, No. 674. H.M Stationery Office. Price ld. net.
347
outside the district. There was, in fact, no general legal provision definitely placing the responsibility for the treatment of a person, who is found to be suffering from infectious disease while outside ttie .district of which be is an inhabitant, either on the authority of the district in which the disease is discovered or on that of the district of which he is an inhabitant. T h e method of making good the deficiencies in the older legislation is that shown, and it is to be hoped that the new provision will work with the smoothness and secure the satisfactory results anticipated by those responsilSle for drafting it.
Obituary. CHARLES FRANKS, M.D., BRUX., L.S.A., D.P.H.
HE Society records with great regret the death of Dr. Charles Franks, Medical Officer of Health of the County of Durham and a former President of the Northern Branch. Following some twenty years in general practice at Jarrow, he received his first appointment under the Durham County Council in 1917, when he became Assistant Tuberculosis Officer. Later, Dr. Franks was appointed Chief Venereal Diseases Officer for the County, and for some time after taking the Durham D.P.H., served as Deputy County Medical Officer to the late Sir Eustace Hill, whom he succeeded in 1930.
T
DAVID CHARLES LLOYD, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.
The death of Dr. D. C. Lloyd, Tuberculosis Officer for Cardiganshire under the Welsh National Memorial Association, is also announced with regret. After three years in general practice at Llanfairfechan, Dr. Lloyd specialised in tuberculosis. In 1915 he entered the service of the Memorial Association, and after various appointments became a tuberculosis physician for Cardiganshire, where he carried out much valuable work and contributed notably to the marked fall in the death-rate which occurred during the 20 years of his service. Dr. Lloyd was a Fellow of the Society of Medical Officers of Health, attached to the Welsh Branch.
DR. J. O. MURRAY has been appointed Medical Officer of Health of Rochester, in succession to Dr. S. I. Pritchett, who, has retired after 32 years' service.