§ Order for Second Reading read.
§ MR. GRAY,in rising to move that the Bill be now read a second time, 228 said, that he had not heard the slightest objection taken by any individual to its principle. In Committee there might be certain details open to discussion; but the principle involved was one which met with such general approval that he did not feel called upon to say very much in support of it. The Bill simply provided that the existence of certain infectious diseases, named within it, should, under certain conditions, be notified to the sanitary authorities in Ireland. It proposed to give no new power whatever, and it would be construed with the Public Health Act, which conferred certain powers on the sanitary authorities for the prevention of infectious disease. The main difficulty experienced by the sanitary authorities hitherto had been that information did not reach them in sufficient time to enable them to take steps in order to check the spread of infectious disease. He need not say that, in such a case, time was the very essence of the business. If they had immediate knowledge of the existence of such diseases as those dealt with in the Bill, it was possible to check them effectively; but once let them make way, and it was almost impossible to overtake them. His attention had been directed to the subject by the fact that last year, when he occupied the Dublin Mansion House, a very influential deputation waited on him, consisting of the whole Medical Profession of Dublin, asking that the Corporation of Dublin should see that steps were taken to secure the notification of infectious disease, when it occurred within their sanitary district. It was pointed out that at the time 14 or 15 towns in England and Scotland—and he believed that five or six more had since been added to the number—had by Local Acts obtained that power to get information of the existence of infectious disease, and the principle was also approved by the whole Medical Faculty of England. From the Reports of the medical officers in the places where those Acts were in force, there was no doubt that they had a material effect in reducing the mortality from the diseases with which they were concerned. It struck him, however, that the English system was a very undesirable one, in allowing every town to go to Parliament to obtain separate powers, differing in more or less important points from those existing in the neighbouring towns; 229 and he thought it would be better to base the Irish legislation on some general principle. The proposal the Bill contained was that the authorities of every sanitary district might apply to the Local Government Board to declare the Act in force within its district. It required the sanitary authority to take the initiative, not the Local Government Board; and then it would be in force in such district, or in whatever portion of it, as that sanitary authority might decide; but the identical provisions would obtain in every district in which it might be put into operation. If the Bill turned out effective, and did result in checking infectious disease, it would be open to Parliament to act in regard to it in the same manner as it had done in the case of previous Sanitary Acts, and make it compulsory, after it had first been tried as a permissive enactment. He had a large body of evidence to urge in favour of the Bill; but he would not weary the House by going into it. In Edinburgh, a Local Act of this character had been introduced two years since, and it was shown that it had largely checked the number of deaths from zymotic diseases. In Burton-on-Trent, an Act had also been in force; and by its help an epidemic of small-pox, which threatened to be of a very virulent character, had been so effectually checked as to reduce the mortality to very trifling proportions. In Dublin, unfortunately, they had had very bitter experience of the way in which small-pox could make its home in a district. For the past four or five years, a state of things existed which would be rendered impossible, if the sanitary authorities possessed the power conferred on them by the Bill now before the House. With such power, it would be possible for them to reduce the mortality very largely, if not to stamp out the disease altogether. It should be understood that the Bill did not interfere with the interests or convenience of any section of the public; it did not harass the poor at all. The poor, however the wretched tenements in which they dwelt favoured the spread of disease, were, when they were dealt with properly, generally tolerably ready to do whatever might be right. If they did not take proper care to isolate as much as possible cases of contagious disease, it was generally found that they were ready enough to go to an hospital, 230 without any compulsion when it was urged upon them. The difficulty was their ignorance, and their permitting disease to spread through the members of their families before they were rightly aware of the risk they ran by so doing. No additional powers were sought under the Bill; it asked for no compulsory powers, nor did it interfere with individuals; it simply provided that notification should be given to the sanitary authorities to take whatever steps for the checking of disease they were already empowered to take by existing Acts. It could not be doubted for a moment that if that were a case of foot-and-mouth disease or rinderpest, the powers sought for in the Bill would have long ago been granted, and would have been in force; but it was not usual to place the same value on human life as on those of sheep or cattle. In Dublin, for the past year, the number of deaths from zymotic diseases alone had been 2,700, and there could be no doubt that that enormous mortality could be reduced, if a Bill such as the present were in force in the City. With regard to the details of the Bill, he could only say that whatever views the House was disposed to take with regard to them he was quite prepared to accept. In conclusion, he would just mention that recently a conjoint Committee of the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland was appointed to inquire into the causes of the high death-rate of Dublin; and, in their Report, the very first remedy they suggested was the notification and registration of infectious disease by the sanitary authority. He believed that, but for the amount of work on his hands, the right hon. Gentleman the Chief Secretary for Ireland would have introduced such a measure as the present himself; and as he did not anticipate any objection to it, but, on the contrary, hoped the hon. and learned Gentleman the Solicitor General for Ireland would tell them that the Government approved of its principle, and would be prepared to facilitate its passage through the House, he would content himself with moving the second reading without detaining the House further.
§ Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read a second time."—(Mr. Gray.)
231§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON)said, that the Government entirely approved the principle of the measure, the object of which was, by the early notification of the outbreak of infectious diseases in Ireland to the sanitary authorities, to preserve the public health. Probably there was no place in the United Kingdom where something of the kind was so necessary as the City of Dublin. They, therefore, would not oppose the Bill going into Committee, but would facilitate its passing as far as they could conveniently do so. It was necessary, however, that the Government should reserve to themselves the right of proposing Amendments, or even, if necessary, of opposing the Bill in Committee, simply on the ground that a large and influential medical body in Dublin—the physicians of the King's and Queen's Colleges—were of opinion that some of the details of the Bill required to be altered. The hon. Member for Carlow Borough (Mr. Gray) would agree that it was desirable to obtain all the assistance they could from the Medical Profession to alter and extend the scope of the Bill. At any rate, however, the Government would not oppose the second reading of the Bill.
§ Question put, and agreed to.
§ Bill read a second time, and committed for Monday 25th April.