[Report 1899] / Medical Officer of Health, Guernsey.

  • Guernsey (Channel Islands). Council.
Date:
1899
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1899] / Medical Officer of Health, Guernsey. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    This Committee reported to the States, among other matters, that a Medical Officer of Health should be appointed for the Island. On March 29th the States considered the Report of the Committee and sanctioned the appointment recommended. This appointment necessitated some change in the Ordinance relating to infectious diseases, which was made at the succeeding Chief Pleas. During the month of April a laboratory, of which a fuller account is given elsewhere, was fitted up at the expense of about £100. In the month of May the Castel Hospital authorities were approached and agreed to lend their Isolation Hospital for a period of six months to the Court Sanitation Committee, with permission to admit cases of infectious disease from all classes, xvhetlier occurring in the town or the country. Immediately thereafter this Hospital was opened to receive cases of scai'let fever. Unforeseen difficulties with regard to the payment for persons removed to the Hospital having arisen, the States considered the matter in July and determined to assume the responsibility for the expense of the isolation and maintenance in Hospital of all cases not chargeable to the parishes. At the Chief Pleas in October, some further alterations (of which the chief related to the simplification of the procedure to be adopted for voluntary removal to the Hospital) were made in the Ordinance relating to Infectious Disease. In November the Castel Isolation Hospital was found insufficient to accommodate the cases of scarlet fever. The Court Sanitation Committee approached the Town Hospital authorities with a view to lending wards for the purpose of isolation of infectious patients. These they immediately placed at the Committee’s disposal. In the autumn, the Committee of the Royal Court arranged a course of lectures, with the object of popularising and extending the general knowledge of matters relating to Public Health. The authorities of the Guille-Alles Library very kindly placed their hall at the disposal of the Commiitee and Mr. Pitts gave much courteous assistance. Six lectures were delivered in the months of November and January. They were given by Dr. Aikman, Dr. Robinson, Mr. Collenette, Mr. Nickolls and the Medical Officer of Health. Probably the most important matter of all those noted in this resume remains to be mentioned, and that is the determination of the States on December 29th to form a Board of Health for the Island. This Board of Health, whose work now begins, was constituted as follows :—