A Chronology of State Medicine, Public Health, Welfare and Related ...

school leaving age should be raised to 15. Many of the recommendations were not
implemented country-wide until 1947 following the 1944 Education Act. See 1936.
1927 Cont - 1929
1927 cont Central Council for Health Education founded on the initiative of the Society of
Medical Officers of Health and supported by contributions from local authorities and
voluntary bodies. It was the first public body to be concerned wholly with health education.
See 1943.
British Pathologists Association founded; it became the Association of Clinical
Pathologists in 1962 and in 1970 the Royal College of Pathologists.
Tetanus toxoid used for human immunisation.
BCG vaccine (see 1921) first used in the UK.
HJ Muller (1890-1967) showed that x-rays induced gene mutations.
First examination for the Diploma of Nursing, London University.
1928 Representation of the People Act (18&19 Geo.V, c.12) lowered the voting age of
women from 30 to 21 years. See 1948.
Reorganisation of Offices (Scotland) Act (18&19 Geo.V, c.34) whereby the Board of
Health for Scotland became the Department of Health for Scotland, with the Secretary of
State for Scotland as its political head. This became effective on 1st January 1929 with JP
Kinloch (1885-1932) as chief medical officer.
National Health Insurance Act (18&19 Geo.V, c.14) amended sections of the 1924 act.
See 1936.
Food and Drugs (Adulteration) Act (18&19 Geo.V, c.31) consolidated previous acts
and appointed county and county borough councils as the food and drugs authorities. See
1938.
Final report of the Royal Commission on Local Government, Cmd. 3231, published.
See 1929.
British Paediatric Association founded. See 1996.
The Industrial Welfare Society (later the Industrial Society) convened the first national
conference on industrial nursing services.
Alexander Fleming (later Sir, 1881-1955, bacteriologist, St Mary's Hospital, London)
observed the antibacterial effects of penicillin.
The people of the UK became the largest consumers of tobacco at 3.4 lbs per head
annually, mainly smoked as cigarettes. There were increasing imports from Southern
Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (Malawi). See 1950.
1929 Local Government Act (19&20 Geo.V, c.17) transferred the functions of the Poor Law
authority (see 1930), and of registering births, deaths and marriages to county and county
borough councils; began a process of reducing the number of urban and rural district
councils; introduced block grants (excluding the Treasury grants for education, police and
housing) to councils; and, provided additional powers over roads, public health (see 1936),
maternity and child welfare. The act had 115 clauses and 12 schedules. It incorporated
recommendations of the Royal Commissions of 1909 (Poor Law) and 1928 (Local
Government). Medical officers of health of the larger authorities were required to hold fulltime
appointments, although a few had, in addition, an honorary part-time appointment on the
staff of the local medical school.
Local Government (Scotland) Act (19&20 Geo.V, c.25) made changes, equivalent to
those above, to local government in Scotland.