CHAPTER II.

SANITARY OFFICERS.

Public Health Act, 1874, sec. 10--Regulations of Local Government Board-Qualifications, Appointment, Salaries, Tenure of Office, and duties of Sanitary Officers-Orders of Local Government Board (England) with regard to Sanitary Officers.

The provisions of the Public Health Act, 1874, relating to the Officers of Sanitary Authorities are contained in sec. 10, which is as follows:

"Every Medical Officer of a Dispensary District shall be a Sanitary Officer for such district, or for such part thereof as he shall personally be in charge of, with such additional salary as the Sanitary Authority thereof may determine, with the approval of the Local Government Board; and every Sanitary Authority, whether urban or rural, shall appoint such other Sanitary Officers, including a Medical Superintendent Officer of Health when deemed necessary, as the Local Government Board shall in each case direct, with such salaries or additional salaries as the said Sanitary Authority shall determine, with the approval of the Local Government Board; and the said Board shall assign to the Dispensary Medical Officers, and to the other Sanitary Officers, if any, and to the Medical Superintendent Officer of Health, if such an officer be appointed for the Sanitary District, their respective duties and functions in the discovery or inspection or removal of nuisances, in the supply of pure water, in the making or repairing of sewers and drains, or in generally superintending the execution of the sanitary laws within the district.

'Every such salary or additional salary so determined or approved, shall be payable from such local fund as the Local Government Board shall indicate as properly chargeable therewith, and such part thereof as Parliament shall from time to time determine, shall be recouped to such local fund out of moneys to be voted by Parliament; and the Local Government Board shall have the same powers with regard to the qualification, appointment, duties, regulation of salary, and tenure of office of every Sanitary Officer as they have in the case of the Medical Officer of a Dispensary District: Provided, with regard to salaries or additional salaries, whereof any portion is to be recouped to any local fund from moneys voted by Parliament, the amount of any new salary, and the proportion between any existing salary and the addition thereto, shall be regulated according to a scale to be approved by the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury."

The Local Government Board, in exercise of the power conferred on them by this section, have issued three General Sanitary Orders relating respectively to

I. Rural Sanitary Districts consisting of entire Unions. II. Rural Sanitary Districts consisting of parts of Unions, of which other parts are Urban Sanitary Districts.

III. Urban Sanitary Districts.

These orders “embrace all Urban and Rural Sanitary Authorities in Ireland, except those of Dublin, Belfast, Cork, and Limerick,” with the Sanitary Organisation of which the Local Government Board intend to deal separately, "as each possesses an organisation peculiar to itself, and on such a scale as will require much consideration and interchange of views with the Governing Body, in order to adapt it to the provisions of the statute." From a perusal of the section just quoted, and the orders of the Board, it will be seen that every Sanitary Authority, whether Urban or Rural, is obliged to maintain the following staff of officers:—

1. A Consulting Sanitary Officer, for which office, in Rural Districts, every Medical Officer of the Union, including the Workhouse Medical Officer or Officers, and in Urban Districts every Medical Officer of a Dispensary District, or Workhouse Medical Officer, is eligible, and also, subject to the approval of the Board, any other Medical Practitioner having the same qualifications.

2. Sanitary Officers (ex-officio) being the Medical Officers of the Dispensary Districts comprised in the District of the Sanitary Authority.

3. An Executive Sanitary Officer, for which office, in Rural Districts, the Clerk of the Union, or any Assistant of the Clerk appointed by the Guardians;

An order relating to Dublin has recently been issued by the Board. Its provisions are for the most part very similar to those of the General Orden to Urban Districts.

in Urban Districts, the Clerk to the Governing Body, or any Assistant of the Clerk appointed by such Body, shall be eligible.

4. Sanitary Sub-Officers.-In Rural Districts, the Relieving Officers of the Union, and the Collectors of Poor Rates are alike eligible for this office. The number of these officers is to be fixed by the Sanitary Authority with the consent of the Board.

The Local Government Board have the same powers with regard to the qualification, appointment, duty, regulation of salary, and tenure of office of every Sanitary Officer, as they have in the case of the Medical Officer of a Dispensary District-i. e., under the Medical Charities Act, 14 & 15 Vict., cap. 68, s. 8.

The Act provides for the appointment of a Medical Superintendent Officer of Health, when deemed necessary, as the Board shall direct. In the orders already issued no reference is made to such an officer.

I. Qualification.-By their Orders of September 9, 1874, the Board have directed that the qualifications of a Consulting Sanitary Officer shall be the same as in the case of a Dispensary Medical Officer, viz. :

1. A medical degree, or diploma, or licence to practise

medicine, from some authorised body in Great Britain or Ireland- —or the licence of the Apothecaries' Hall, Dublin.

2. A surgical diploma or licence, from some authorised body in Great Britain or Ireland.

3. A certificate from some authorised body that he possesses a competent knowledge of midwifery.

Under special circumstances the separate medical

certificate may be dispensed with by the Board. 4. The minimum of age is 23 years. (See General Order, November 29, 1869.)

No special qualifications are required in the case of the Executive Sanitary Officers, or Sanitary Sub-Officers.

II. Appointment.-Every appointment must be made with the approval of the Board.

III Regriation of Salary.-The Board way from time to time, when they see occasion, regulate the amount of salaries, and the time and mode of payment.

The amount of remuneration payable to the different classes of Sanitary Officers is to be determined by each Sanitary Authority, subject to the approval of the Local Government Board.

The salaries so determined are to be paid out of such local fund as the Board shall indicate, and a part thereof, probably one-half, will be recouped to the local fund out of the Imperial Exchequer. The amount of any new salary and the proportion between any existing salary payable to any officer previously to the passing of the Act, and the addition made to it in consideration of the new duties imposed on him by the Act, are to be regulated according to a scale approved of by the Treasury. If this scale be exceeded, the entire amount of the salary or additional salary must be defrayed out of the local fund.

IV. Tenure of Office.-The Board may remove any Officer on sufficient grounds, and require the Sanitary Authority to appoint another person in his place. In case the Sanitary Authority fails to appoint a successor within one month, the appointment may be filled up by the Board.

V. Duties.-The following have been "assigned” as the Duties of the various Officers, by the Order of September 9, 1874:

"L. INSPECTORIAL DUTIES.

"1. Every Sanitary Sub-Officer who shall observe or be informed of any matter demanding, in his opinion, attention from the Sanitary Officer of the Dispensary District in which he has discovered the same, shall notify it forthwith to the Sanitary Officer in writing, specifying the nature of the case in the Form annexed to the Order, and shall preserve a copy thereof in duplicate.

"2. Every Sanitary Officer who shall have been apprised officially or e become cognizant of any matter demanding his attention

as aforesaid, shall, as soon as conveniently may be, visit the locality, and if, after due inspection, he finds such matter to involve danger to public health, he shall report thereon to the Sanitary Authority, showing the source from which he received the information, and the date thereof, and the date of his visit of inspection; he shall also give a sufficient description of the nature of the case, and the remedy which he recommends to be adopted, and shall preserve a duplicate of every such Report.

"II. EXECUTIVE DUTIES.

“1. The duty of the Executive Sanitary Officer shall be to attend every meeting of the Sanitary Authority, and to take their directions from time to time on sanitary business, and on the Reports of the Sanitary Officers, and all proceedings arising thereon, and to see that the same are carried out and brought to a conclusion where practicable, in pursuance of the orders of the Authority.

"2. In furtherance whereof we do hereby direct that every Sanitary Officer and Sub-Officer shall, on receiving directions from the Executive Sanitary Officer, attend and assist in all proceedings in which his attendance or assistance may be required.

"3. The duty of the Consulting Sanitary Officer shall be to attend meetings of the Sanitary Authority, whenever required to do so, and to advise them on all matters and proceedings requiring medical knowledge and advice in the administration of the sanitary laws.

“4. Rural Districts.—The proceedings of the Board of Guardians acting as the Sanitary Authority shall be recorded in the same manner as the minutes of the proceedings of the Board under the Poor Law and Medical Charities Acts, and a copy of such record shall be annexed to the ordinary minutes of proceedings of the Board of Guardians, and shall be transmitted to the Local Government Board by the Clerk of the Union with such last-mentioned minutes.

"4. Urban Districts. The proceedings of the Governing Body acting as the Sanitary Authority shall be recorded, and a copy thereof shall be transmitted to the Local Government Board by the Clerk to the said Body as soon afterwards as practicable.

"III. STATISTICS OF DISEASE.

"It shall be the duty of the Consulting Sanitary Officer and of the Sanitary Officers to furnish from time to time to the Local Government Board such statistical returns of sickness and disease, in the case of a Rural Sanitary District, in the workhouse and its hospitals, and in the dispensary districts; and, in the case of an Urban Sanitary District, within such district, as shall from time to time be required from them respectively."