ours of the body of a person who
has died of infectious disease in a room used at the time as a
dwelling-place, sleeping-place or workshop. It provides for the bodies
of persons dying of infectious diseases in a hospital being removed
only for burial, and gives power to justices in certain cases to order
bodies to be buried. The diseases to which the act applies are
smallpox, cholera, membranous croup, erysipelas, scarlatina or scarlet
fever, typhus, typhoid, enteric, relapsing, continued or puerperal
fever, and any other infectious disease to which the act has been
applied by the local authority of the district in the prescribed
manner. The most important provision, however, relating to infectious
disease is that contained in the Infectious Disease Notification Act
1889. That was originally an adoptive act, but it is now extended to
all districts in England and Wales. It requires the notification to
the medical officer of health of the district of every case in which a
person is suffering from one of the diseases above mentioned. The duty
of notification is imposed upon the head of the family, and also upon
the medical practitioner who may be in attendance on the patient. The
medical attendant is entitled to receive in respect of each
notification a fee of 2s. 6d. if the case occurs in his private
practice, and of 1s. if the case occurs in his practice as medical
officer of any public body or institution. These fees are paid by the
urban or rural district council as the case may be. The provisions as
to notification are applied to every ship, vessel, boat, tent, van,
shed or similar structure used for human habitation in like manner as
nearly as may be as if it were a building. Exception is made, however,
in the case of a ship, vessel or boat belonging to a foreign
government. It is not too much to say that this act has been one of
the most effectual means of preventing the spread of infectious
disease in modern times.

Hospitals.

The district council are empowered to provide hospitals or temporary
places for the reception of the sick. They may build them, contract
for the use of them, agree for the reception of the sick inhabitants
of their district into an existing hospital, or combine with any other
district council in providing a common hospital. As has already been
mentioned when dealing with county councils, if a district council
mak