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

central inspectorate. See 1883 and 1891.
1878 Cont - 1879
1878 cont Public Health (Water) Act (41&42 Vict., c.25) simplified the process for
municipalities to purchase private waterworks; and required rural sanitary authorities to
ensure that every occupied dwelling house had within a reasonable distance an available and
sufficient supply of wholesome water.
Dentists Act (41&42 Vict., c.33) provided for the registration of dentists and restricted
the use of the term "dentist", and gave powers to the General Medical Council to register
dentists. See 1921.
Contagious and Infectious Diseases (Animals) Act (41&42 Vict., c.74) amended and
extended previous acts concerning the separation of infected animals and notification to the
police; and the treatment of infected places and areas. See 1894.
Royal Commission on Noxious Vapours, C.2159, called for more inspectors with
increased powers, and the extension of the Alkali Acts to all noxious works, despite witnesses
arguing that noxious vapours were the inevitable and unalterable cost of national prosperity.
See 1881.
Charles Kelly (1845-1904) appointed professor of hygiene at King's College, London,
succeeding William Guy (see 1838). In 1874 Kelly had resigned his clinical posts of assistant
physician at King's College Hospital and at the Evelina Hospital for Children to become
medical officer of health to combined districts in Sussex.
Charles Drysdale, senior physician to the Metropolitan Free Hospital, warned against
the use of tobacco. He pointed to "the enormous consumption of tobacco in all European
states", estimating that £15,000,000 was spent annually in Great Britain on tobacco, and
concluded "that the use of tobacco is one of the most evident of all the retrograde influences
of our time" (The Times, 25th September).
Philippa Flowerday appointed as nurse to the J & J Colman (Norwich) to work among
the factory people, and to visit them at home when they were ill. She is believed to be the
first trained nurse to be appointed to work as a nurse within an industrial organisation.
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, founded.
London University accepted women for graduation in all faculties; shortly to be
followed by the Scottish and then the English provincial universities. Oxford opened its
degrees to women in 1920 and Cambridge in 1948. The first four women to graduate in
London were awarded their degrees in 1880. At University College, London, co-educational
teaching was available in all faculties except medicine.
1879 Artizans and Labourers' Dwellings Improvement Act (42&43 Vict., c.63) amended the
terms of compensation and the re-housing of persons displaced by improvement schemes.
However the problems of re-housing displaced persons at affordable rents remained. See
1882.
Sale of Food and Drugs Amendment Act (42&43 Vict., c.30) tightened up aspects of
the 1875 act. See 1907.
Habitual Drunkards Act (42&43 Vict., c.19) passed to facilitate the control and cure of
habitual drunkards; empowered local authorities to establish retreats. The Act defined an
habitual drunkard as a person who, not being amenable to any jurisdiction in lunacy, is
notwithstanding, by reason of habitual intemperate drinking of intoxicating liquor, at times
dangerous to himself or herself or to others, or incapable of managing himself or herself or
his or her affairs. See 1888.
Compulsory notification of infectious diseases introduced in Edinburgh.