DOCTORS'FEES FOR REPORTING MEASLES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9270, 4 August 1893, Page 6

DOCTORS' FEES FOR REPORTING MEASLES.

At the ordinary meeting of the City Council, held last night, a letter was received ;rom Dr. King, medical health officer of tho city, in regard to the question of reporting cases of measles amongst infectious diseases. In view of avoiding trouble with the medical profession in Auckland, he enclosed an extract from the Lancet of July 'JO, 1889, as to tno infectious and dangerous character of measles Ho also enclosed copies of death returns from the city from May 4th to July 18th, pointing out the mortality amongst children and others from measles.

Tho consideration of tho letter was deferred pending a report to be made by tho Mayor. This report did not come on, however, for the Council was counted out before the Mayor had time to make any explanation with regard to his recent visit to Wellington to attend the Municipal Conference. A telegram was received from the Hon. P. A. Buckley, Attorney-General, that the Government proposed to support tho Public Health Amendment Bill as introduced by Mr. Taylor, a copy of which was handed to the Mayor when in Wellington. The Bill is a very short one. Tho operative clauses are as follows : —

Fvery local Hoard constituted by the principal Act shall provide and supply gratis on demand to any medical practitioner, forms printed in accordance with the schedule to this Act. It shall be the duty of the medical practitioner in attendance upon any person sick of smallpox, cholera, scarlet fever, measles, typhoid fever, diphtheria, or other infectious disease dangerous to the people, to immediately give notice thereof to the local Hoard of the district to which such sick person resides; such notice shall be in the form in the said schedule, or to the effect thereof, and may be given by delivering or posting the .same- to the office of such hoard. All such notices shall be transmitted through the post free of postage. Every medical practitioner who refuses or neglects to give such notice, or to state to the householder where such sick person resides as early as possible the infectious nature of such disease, shall be liable for each offence to a penalty not exceeding £10.