The Royal Institute of Public Health Congress at Aberdeen

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Public HeaIth Congress at Aberdeen

877

THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONGRESS AT ABERDEEN, AUGUST 2ND TO 7Tl~, 1900. THE Con~'ess of the Royal Institute of Public Health in Aberdeen took place under the presidency of the Earl of Aberdeen, The meetings were held in the Marischal College of the Universit3; the Lord Provost of Aberdeen being,the Honorary President of the Congress. There was a very large attendance of Fellows, Members and Delegates, the latter representing municipal corporations, urban and rural sanitary authorities, and learned societies throughout the Kingdom. The Presidential Address delivered by Lord Aberdeen on August 2nd was devoted to a review of the progress of sanitation, particularly from the point of view of legislation, during the last hundred years. The President insisted with considerable force on the necessity for further legislation upon many of the problems which still confront sanitarians. Subsequently the Sections assembled, and were opened with addresses from their respective Presidents. The Presidents of the various Sections were

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Preventive Medicine and Vital Statistics, W. J. Simpson, M.D., Professor of Hygiene, King's College, London, who took for his subject, "Administration and Research in Preventive Medicine." Bacteriology and Comparative Pathology, D. J. Hamilton, M.D., F.R.C.S.E., Professor Of Patho!egy, University of Aberdeen, the subject of whose address was "Developments in Bacteriology." Chemistry and Meteorology, C. Hunter Stewart, M.B., D.Sc., Professor of Public Health, University of Edinburgh. Subject : " Periodical Recurrences of Epidemic Disease and the Meteorological Conditions to which these have been attributed." Architecture and Engineering, John tIoneyman, R.S.A., F.R.I.B.A., architect, Glasgov,: Subject : " Abnormal Mortality in some great Cities." Municipal and Parliamentary Hygiene, Robert Farquharson, M.D., hI.P. Subject : "Hygienic Work of County Councils. ' The Sections having been opened, the reading of papers commenced, and the Sections were ultimately adjourned until Friday. In the evening a reception was given by the Lord Provost and Town Council of Aberdeen in the Art Gallery, whmh was laroely attended. On Friday there was to have been an address on "Disinfection" by Professor A. Sheridan Del6pine, but, owing to that gentleman's illness, the address was not delivered. The Sectional meetings occupied the whole of the morning, and in the afternoon the members of the Congress were entertained to luncheon by the Lord Provost and Town Council in the Music Hall, and subsequently a garden-party was given at the residence of the Lord Provost. Saturday was entirely devoted to excursions to ]3aimoral, to the Duke of Yife's residence, Duff House, to Finzean, the residence of Dr. Farquharson, M.P., etc. On Sunday morning a special service in connection with the Congress was held in St. Nicholas West Parish Church, at which a very large

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T h e Royal Institute of

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number of delegates attended. The sermon was preached by the Very Rev. J. MarshaU Lang, D.D., Principal of the University of Aberdeen. On Monday there was a very crowded attendance at 10 a.m., when Professor Percy Frankland delivered a most interesting address on "Recent Developments in the Purification of Sewage." The rest of the day was devoted to meetings of Conferences of Medical Officers of Health, Sanitary Inspectors, and Veterinary Surgeons. The Conference of Medical Officers of Health was presided over by Dr. J. C. MeVail, Medical Officer of Health for the Counties of Stifling and Dumba~ton, and President-elect of the Incorporated Society of Medical Officers of Health. The subjects discussed were "The Working of the English Vaccination Act," "Infantile Mortality Problem and its Solution," and the "Relative Duties of Urban and Rural Sanitary Authorities in the Prevention of Tuberculosis." There was a very large attendance throughout the day. The President of the Conference 9of Sanitary Inspectors was Mr. Peter Fyfe, F.R.S.E., Chief Sanitary Inspector of Glasgow; and the President of the Conference of Veterinary Surgeons was Principal V~Tilliams, F.R.C.V.S., Principal of the New Veterinary College, Edinburgh. In the course of the afternoon a garden-party was given by Sir David and Lady Stewart, at their residence, Bankery House. In the evening the Congress dinner was held in the Music Hall, at which Lord Aberdeen presided. Tuesday saw the conclusion of the Confess. Meetings of the Sections were held early in the morning. In the Anatomical Department of the Marischal College an address was given by Dr. Patrick Manson on " Malaria--a Sanitary Problem." Microscopical demonstrations illustrative of the address were subsequently given in the Section of Bacteriology and Comparative Pathology, under the presidency of Professor Hamilton. At the concluding meeting of the Congress, at which Lord Aberdeen again presided, a letter was read from Sir Arthur Bigge, acknowledging on behalf of Her Majesty, a resolution passed at the opening meeting of the Congress of sympathy on the death of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The resolutions passed in the various Sections were brought up and were referred to the Council for consideration. They were as follows : 9SECTION A.~PREVENTIVE MEDICINE AND VITAL STATISTICS.~" That this Section is of opinion that, to effectively"deal with the public health interests of a district, it is desirable that facilities should be acquired by sanitary authorities for bacteriological and other cognate work." SECTION DJ--AncnITECTUI~E AND E.~GINEEnl.XG.--"That in the opinion of this Congress, the attention of the various railway companies be called to the necessity of more efficient cleansing and the more sanitary construction of railway carriages, and also conveniences at the smaller railway-stations, having regard to the question of the possibility of infection to passengers." SECTION E.--MUNICIPAL AND PARLIAMENTARY H Y G I E N E . - - ] . ': That the Congress of the Royal Institute of Public Health held in Aberdeen i n August, 1900, comprising official representatives of the sanitary authorities of the chief cities, municipal boroughs, and other sanitary authorities in the United Kingdom, and also delegates-from learned societies and associations interested in sanitation, records its opinion that it is urgently necessary to the protection of the public health that means should be available by which the public authorities and the public generally may be enabled to distinguish plumbers who are properly qualified to perform their work with due regard to its sanitary

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Public Health Congress at Aberdeen 879

efficiency from incompetent persons, and to this end the Congress requests the Royal Institute of Public Health to take all necessary measures to secure prompt legislation, establishin~ the national registration of plumbers on a statutory basis, ensuring t~he qualification and responsibility of the persons registered." 2 . " That a memorial be addressed t o the l~ight Hon. A. J. Balfour, First Lord of the Treasury, calling his attention to the desirability of the Government dealing With the registration of qualified plumbers in the interests of the public health; and that such memorial be placed in the rooms of the Congress for signature by delegates and members of the C o n f e s s . " 3. " T h a t the'Earl of Aberdeen be requested to introduce a Bill into the House of Lords., providing that women shall be eligible for election as members of all municipal and sanitary boards in Great Britain and Ireland, and amending in this respect the London Government Act of 1899." 4. " T h a t this Congress urges the President of the Local Government Board to introduce le~slation forthwith to enable local authorities executing schemes under Part .II. of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, to borrow the necessary money for reconstructing artisans' dwellings for all the persons displaced by such schemes, seeing that the charge of raising such capital money o u t of current rates is prohibitive, arid discourages local authorities from dealingwith insanitary areas." 5. " T h a t the Local Government Board be requested to obtain the opinion of the law officers of the Crown whether it is legal for municipal authorities erecting artisans' dwellings under the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, to charge upon the rents the sums necessary for repaying, by instalments, the capital cost of erecting the dwellings." 6. " That the Local Government Board be urged to promote legislation for the amendment of the Public Health and Local Government Conference Act, 1895, so as to enable ~he reasonable expenses of any officer appo!nted by a local authority, attending any conferences, to be paid, instead of the power of the authority being restricted, as at present, to the payment of the expenses of members or clerks only." 7. " T h a t this Conference approves of standard of air-space for dwellers in cities and large towns being raised ~o 500 cubic feet for every adult, and 250 cubic feel for each child under ten years of 9age." C O N F E R E N C E OF MEDICAL.0FFICERS OF HEALTH. -~' That the Governmerit should introduce in an ordinary Public Health Act, or otherwise, as is most convenient, an Act to be generally applicable, embodying all powers for the proper supervision of milk and meat supply." CONFERENCE OF SANITARY INSPECTORS.--" That the time has now arrived when the Government should be approached to appoint a Department of Public Health. with a Minister at its head with Cabinet rank." / " T h a t in view of the difficulties in the acquisition of slum areas for the purpose of reconstruction and providing houses for humbler classes, this Conference resolves that i t is expedient that power be obtained that on the representation of the medical officer of health and sanitary inspector the local authority may approach the Secretary for Scotland, who shall remit to an arbitrator to be named by the Sheriff to hold a local inquiry, and report to the Secretary for Scotland, on whose approval the scheme shall come into force." 60

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CONFERENCE OF VETERINARY ~URGEONS.--" That this Conference o[ Veterinary Surgeons, having fully considered the pathological condition in the sheep's lung commonly known as pseudo tubercle, is of the opinion that such parasitically-infected organs are unfit for human food, and would respectfully draw attention to this condition with the view to their general condemnation."

BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. ANNUAL THE

MEETING

AT I P S W I C H , J U L Y 1900.

31ST T O A U G U S T

3riD,

SUPPLY OF STERILIZED HUM'AN I~[ILK FOR U S E OF INFANTS AT

ST. HELENs.--Dr. Harris, Medical Officer of Health of St. Helens, described a system which had been adopted with the object of combating and limiting the excessive mortality of infants under one y e a r of age. He pointed out that there was little doubt that the incidence of diarrhea and diseases of the digestive system was particularly heavy among bottle-fed children, a fact due either to the foul condition of t h e bottles or to the sourness of the milk, Or to both these causes combined. During the past five years in St. Helens, 81 per cent. of the children under six months who had died from diarrhoea were bottle-fed. Dr. Harris then proceeded to describe the system recently adopted by the municipality of St. Helens. A small six-roomed house was taken in a conveniently central position, and was adapted to their requirements, and in August, 1899, they were able to begin the supply of sterilized humanized milk for infants. The system, he said, was as follows : The milk on its arrival is tested, to ascertain roughly its per. centage of cream, between 9 and 10 per cent., by volume, being regarded as the best amount. The milk is then diluted by one-third of its bulk, to reduce the proteids to the proportion usually found in human milk. Cream and sugar are then added to the extent of three and two ounces per gallon of mixture respectively, and a small amounb of sah is also put in. B y these means a milk approximating in composition to human m i l k is obtained. The milk is next placed in stoppered bottles, and the stoppers closed, the bottles when filled being placed in the sterilizer. In the sterilizer, as soon as the thermometer indicates 102" C., the time is noted, and that temperature is maintained for three-quarters of an hour. By this simple means, he added, very perfect sterilization was obtained, and yet the adlk in no sense tasted "boiled." With regard to the results, it was difficult, at this early period, to give any accurate direct statistics. Up to the end of the year 284 children had been supplied with the milk for longer or shorter intervals. Of these, 52 only used the milk for a week or less. Excluding these, the death-rate among the remainder was only 103 per 1,000, compared with 157 per 1,000 births, taking the borough as a whole. During the very hot weather last August and September, when diarrhcea was so prevalent throughout the whole country, many cases were brought to the depbt in the last stages of this disease. In more than one instance the sterilised milk seemed to work like magic, and the recoveries were most remarkable. M O D E R N SYSTEMS OF S E W A G E Ta~A~:~E.~T.--The question raised by Dr. A. C. Houston, in an exhaustivepaper, was " C a n modern systems of sewage treatment be depended upon to remove the Bacillus typhosus and allied orgauisms 7" Dr. Houston said he proposed to confine his