[Report 1903] / Medical Officer of Health, Plymouth Borough and Port.

  • Plymouth (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1903] / Medical Officer of Health, Plymouth Borough and Port. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    13/110 (page 13)
    The circumstances of the outbreak, and investigations made by myself and the Medical Officer of the district, were duly and fully reported to the Sanitary Committee. I must again take this opportunity of expressing my opinion that, in the interest of the public, all dairy farms throughout the country should be compelled to be registered, under similar conditions as those adopted by the Corporation. Again I must call attention to the objectionable practice obtaining amongst many of the retail milk sellers, of carrying on the business of general storekeepers—selling fish, vegetables, meat, fruit, etc. In my opinion, the sale of milk and dairy produce should be restricted to special premises. Steeet Cleansing and Sanitation.—In reference to this work I can only reiterate the remarks I have made in former reports, and trust that the Council will be in such a position to empower an increased expenditure on this necessary work. Before concluding my general report, may I direct the attention of the Council to what, in my opinion, in order to further reduce the death rate of the Borough, should be their lines of action ? First, the reduction of the death rate of pul¬ monary tuberculosis, by enforcing such measures that they are empowered to do ; by the establishment of a sanatorium for the treatment of cases, or by taking over the present institution, and by approaching the government, in conjunction with other municipalities, with the object of inducing them to recognise the necessity, in the interest of public health, of placing pulmonary tuberculosis upon the same footing as infectious diseases, in so far as the provision of hospitals, compulsory notification, and disinfection are concerned. The average number of deaths per annum from pulmonary tuberculosis in the Borough is 120, the majority being young adults.