- Email: [email protected]
"CRUELTY TO WOMEN."
IMPORTANT DECISION AS TO INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Journal of Public Health. Within two years of this
1651
and again by medical officers of to a number of opinions which have health; opposed been given by legal members and officers of different sanitary authorities. This difference of opinion has now prevailed ever since the Act of 1875 was passed ; it has in many cases hindered the proper administration of the law against the
of the
we find Dr. Brehmer at Gorbersdorf opening the first sanatorium on Bodington’s principles and working out his system into From this point the a carefully thought out organisation. success of the treatment has been continuous, and we are preparing to welcome back into England a system which we ought to have accepted and developed nearly 60 years ago. Probably others before Dr. Bodington have at various times advocated the rational treatment of consumption, but he is the first whose advocacy though bitterly opposed was successful in gradually, if slowly, changing the whole current of popular and medical opinion on the subject. One of his patients whose case he describes in his book, a young lady in the third stage of consumption, whom he treated in 1837, is still living at Cheltenham, a grateful witness of his skill.
case as
set out
again
but it is
spread of infection, and therefore we are glad that a decision has at last been given which must be regarded as setting the matter at rest. ___
"CRUELTY TO WOMEN."
THE temperance and wisdom which characterised the prothe first meeting of the League which has just been formed to secure seats for women in shops and of which the Duchess of Westminster is president afford a good omen for the realisation of the necessary reform which the new league has at heart. Since this meeting, which was IMPORTANT DECISION AS TO INFECTIOUS held under the of the Dean of Westminster in presidency DISEASES. the Jerusalem Chamber on the 8th inst., the Seats for AN important case known as that of "Warwick v. Assistants (England and Ireland) Bill has passed Graham"was decided on June llth by Mr. Justice Day I Shop has been reported without amendment on appeal against the interpretation put upon Section ’i through committee, ’ to the House of Commons, and has been read a third time. 124 of the Public Health Act, 1875, by two justices for the that the realisation There is reason to county of Cumberland. The section deals with the power ’, of the wishes of thehope, therefore, ladies who form the league kindly of compulsory removal of a sick person to a hospital for That in some cases women should be comis near at hand. infectious diseases. It has often been held that, although in shops for from 12 to 14 hours daily with the section allows of such removal by order of any justice I, pelled to stand two intervals of half-an-hour for dinner and 20 minutes when the person suffering from an infectious disease "is only for tea all the year round regardless of temperature is without proper lodging and accommodation," yet its meana disgrace to a country like England, and ing is that such accommodation has to do with the welfare thisstanding is emphasised by the fact that in New Zealand a law of the patient and not with the protection of other persons. exists by. which an employer is rendered liable This view is taken because the clause further states that one already to a penalty if he does not provide seats for his female of the conditions under which the removal may be effected is that the sick person is "lodged in a room occupied by assistants. It is unnecessary to point out to our readers either the harm that is done to the women or the more than one family." This has been held to imply that lessened for work which is the outcome of thoughtprotection against infection is not contemplated in the lessness capacity by employers in this connexion. The present Bill section so long as members of only one family are in House deals with England and Ireland only and before the question. But others have contended that the use of the it will be remembered that the Lords have recently thrown word I I or"in the section shows that there were two I a Bill on the same subject dealing with Scotland. out different sets of circumstances, in either of which ’, is to be hoped, however, that legislation will not removal of the patient under a magistrate’s order ’, It be restricted to any particular divisions of the could be carried out; and, further, it has been urged eventually United Kingdom. At the meeting above referred to it was. that the general intention of the Act is not the resolved that efforts should be made to form welfare of the individual but that it has concern with the unanimously an advisory committee composed of medical men and the public health and hence with the protection of the public I, of shops and that the wives of proprietors of against infection. Magisterial decisions have varied accord- ’, proprietors some of the shops should be asked to join the league. ing as one or other of these views have been pressed upon the ’, With this suggestion we are in full accord and we heartily justices, but hitherto no decision on appeal has been avail- wish success to a movement which we have always strongly able for general guidance. In the case in question a boy in Workington was suffering from scarlet fever and it was not i supported. pretended that he had not such proper lodging and accomCHINESE PREVENTIVE MEDICINE! modation as was necessary for his own welfare ; but the I, corporation insisted that, owing to the position of the room I, WHETHER it be from the fact that the Chinese physicians which the patient occupied with respect to other rooms in consider that man is influenced by heat and humidity, ths the house, including the kitchen, it was impossible to isolate harmony of which constitutes life, or whether it be that him in the sense of preventing the spread of infection to they consider the human body as a harmonic instrument others. The magistrates declined to regard Section 124 as which is affected by the vibration of the muscles, tendons, applicable to such a case. They held that the proper lodging nerves, and arteries, we know not, but the Sanitary Board and accommodation which was necessary surmised no more of Hong-Kong has just had a curious application made to than that the patient was provided with ordinary habitable, them for permission to hold a procession of a somewhat clean, and comfortable quarters such as are requisite for a corybantic nature to frighten away the plague which is sick person, and they refused to grant an order of removal to increasing in Hong-Kong, though we are glad to learn from hospital. This decision was appealed against, and although a correspondent that it remains localised in No. 9 health we have not yet before us the revised judgment of Mr. Justice district, a part of the town rarely visited by Europeans. As Day the brief account of it already published shows the case was pointed out by Dr. Atkinson, principal civil medical to be of sufficient importance to warrant our calling imme- officer, it is certainly not advisable for large crowds to diate attention to it. For the judgment on appeal is to the gather in a part of the town affected with the plague, effect that Section 124 was clearly directed to the protection but the application was granted on the understanding of persons from infection and not merely to the protection of that the firing of crackers and the beating of gongs the sick person himself. This judgment is in accordance with should cease at nine o’clock in the evening; moreover, common sense ; it is in accordance with the general necessities no noise was to be made within a certain distance of the
ceedings of
___
I
-
Journal of Public Health. Within two years of this
1651
and again by medical officers of to a number of opinions which have health; opposed been given by legal members and officers of different sanitary authorities. This difference of opinion has now prevailed ever since the Act of 1875 was passed ; it has in many cases hindered the proper administration of the law against the
of the
we find Dr. Brehmer at Gorbersdorf opening the first sanatorium on Bodington’s principles and working out his system into From this point the a carefully thought out organisation. success of the treatment has been continuous, and we are preparing to welcome back into England a system which we ought to have accepted and developed nearly 60 years ago. Probably others before Dr. Bodington have at various times advocated the rational treatment of consumption, but he is the first whose advocacy though bitterly opposed was successful in gradually, if slowly, changing the whole current of popular and medical opinion on the subject. One of his patients whose case he describes in his book, a young lady in the third stage of consumption, whom he treated in 1837, is still living at Cheltenham, a grateful witness of his skill.
case as
set out
again
but it is
spread of infection, and therefore we are glad that a decision has at last been given which must be regarded as setting the matter at rest. ___
"CRUELTY TO WOMEN."
THE temperance and wisdom which characterised the prothe first meeting of the League which has just been formed to secure seats for women in shops and of which the Duchess of Westminster is president afford a good omen for the realisation of the necessary reform which the new league has at heart. Since this meeting, which was IMPORTANT DECISION AS TO INFECTIOUS held under the of the Dean of Westminster in presidency DISEASES. the Jerusalem Chamber on the 8th inst., the Seats for AN important case known as that of "Warwick v. Assistants (England and Ireland) Bill has passed Graham"was decided on June llth by Mr. Justice Day I Shop has been reported without amendment on appeal against the interpretation put upon Section ’i through committee, ’ to the House of Commons, and has been read a third time. 124 of the Public Health Act, 1875, by two justices for the that the realisation There is reason to county of Cumberland. The section deals with the power ’, of the wishes of thehope, therefore, ladies who form the league kindly of compulsory removal of a sick person to a hospital for That in some cases women should be comis near at hand. infectious diseases. It has often been held that, although in shops for from 12 to 14 hours daily with the section allows of such removal by order of any justice I, pelled to stand two intervals of half-an-hour for dinner and 20 minutes when the person suffering from an infectious disease "is only for tea all the year round regardless of temperature is without proper lodging and accommodation," yet its meana disgrace to a country like England, and ing is that such accommodation has to do with the welfare thisstanding is emphasised by the fact that in New Zealand a law of the patient and not with the protection of other persons. exists by. which an employer is rendered liable This view is taken because the clause further states that one already to a penalty if he does not provide seats for his female of the conditions under which the removal may be effected is that the sick person is "lodged in a room occupied by assistants. It is unnecessary to point out to our readers either the harm that is done to the women or the more than one family." This has been held to imply that lessened for work which is the outcome of thoughtprotection against infection is not contemplated in the lessness capacity by employers in this connexion. The present Bill section so long as members of only one family are in House deals with England and Ireland only and before the question. But others have contended that the use of the it will be remembered that the Lords have recently thrown word I I or"in the section shows that there were two I a Bill on the same subject dealing with Scotland. out different sets of circumstances, in either of which ’, is to be hoped, however, that legislation will not removal of the patient under a magistrate’s order ’, It be restricted to any particular divisions of the could be carried out; and, further, it has been urged eventually United Kingdom. At the meeting above referred to it was. that the general intention of the Act is not the resolved that efforts should be made to form welfare of the individual but that it has concern with the unanimously an advisory committee composed of medical men and the public health and hence with the protection of the public I, of shops and that the wives of proprietors of against infection. Magisterial decisions have varied accord- ’, proprietors some of the shops should be asked to join the league. ing as one or other of these views have been pressed upon the ’, With this suggestion we are in full accord and we heartily justices, but hitherto no decision on appeal has been avail- wish success to a movement which we have always strongly able for general guidance. In the case in question a boy in Workington was suffering from scarlet fever and it was not i supported. pretended that he had not such proper lodging and accomCHINESE PREVENTIVE MEDICINE! modation as was necessary for his own welfare ; but the I, corporation insisted that, owing to the position of the room I, WHETHER it be from the fact that the Chinese physicians which the patient occupied with respect to other rooms in consider that man is influenced by heat and humidity, ths the house, including the kitchen, it was impossible to isolate harmony of which constitutes life, or whether it be that him in the sense of preventing the spread of infection to they consider the human body as a harmonic instrument others. The magistrates declined to regard Section 124 as which is affected by the vibration of the muscles, tendons, applicable to such a case. They held that the proper lodging nerves, and arteries, we know not, but the Sanitary Board and accommodation which was necessary surmised no more of Hong-Kong has just had a curious application made to than that the patient was provided with ordinary habitable, them for permission to hold a procession of a somewhat clean, and comfortable quarters such as are requisite for a corybantic nature to frighten away the plague which is sick person, and they refused to grant an order of removal to increasing in Hong-Kong, though we are glad to learn from hospital. This decision was appealed against, and although a correspondent that it remains localised in No. 9 health we have not yet before us the revised judgment of Mr. Justice district, a part of the town rarely visited by Europeans. As Day the brief account of it already published shows the case was pointed out by Dr. Atkinson, principal civil medical to be of sufficient importance to warrant our calling imme- officer, it is certainly not advisable for large crowds to diate attention to it. For the judgment on appeal is to the gather in a part of the town affected with the plague, effect that Section 124 was clearly directed to the protection but the application was granted on the understanding of persons from infection and not merely to the protection of that the firing of crackers and the beating of gongs the sick person himself. This judgment is in accordance with should cease at nine o’clock in the evening; moreover, common sense ; it is in accordance with the general necessities no noise was to be made within a certain distance of the
ceedings of
___
I
-