Senior Officials – Medical Officer of Health
In the mid-19th century some burghs, such as Edinburgh, obtained local acts of parliament to enable them to appoint medical officers but from 1867, all burghs and parochial boards were permitted to appoint medical officers of health and to levy a general rate on householders for public health purposes.[1] However, only a few local authorities appointed full-time medical officers of health. It therefore became compulsory for county councils to appoint county medical officers of health in order to monitor and oversee the provision of improvements in the health of the county. [2] Shortly afterwards the same requirement was extended to burghs. [3] This requirement was repeated in subsequent legislation: in 1929 responsibilities were given to county councils and large burghs and in 1947 town councils and county councils were required to appoint a medical officer of health. [4]
Medical officers of health had to be registered medical practitioners and also hold a qualification in sanitary science, public health or state medicine.[5] Their main duties were established by the public health acts, including the isolation and treatment of those suffering from infectious diseases and the identification of the causes of such diseases. They were required to make annual reports to the Board of Supervision and then its successor, the Local Government Board for Scotland, which was authorised to compile regulations concerning the duties of medical officers of health.[6] In 1909, the medical inspection of schoolchildren was added to these duties.[7] The local government acts included a duty to ascertain the extent of diseases and recommend ways of preventing the spread of diseases. Their duties overlapped with the duties of sanitary inspectors, as both had powers of entry to inspect and require the cleansing of dwelling-houses and to require improvements to drainage, conversion of privies to water closets and inspect the sanitary condition of slaughterhouses.
After the introduction of the National Health Service in 1948 some of the duties of medical officers of health were removed from local government, but they continued to be responsible for the provision of community and public health services. The National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1972 transferred this role to the new health boards and therefore removed it from the functions of local government.[8]
Editor: Elspeth Reid (2021)
Related Knowledge Base entries
Medical Officers of Health records
Bibliography
McLachlan, Gordon (ed.), Improving the Common Weal: aspects of Scottish health services 1900-1984 (Edinburgh University Press for the Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust, 1987)
Skelton’s Handbook of Public Health, The Handbook of Public Health, Part 1 – The Public Health (Scotland) Act, 1897 with notes revised by James Patten Macdougall and Abijah Murray, (Edinburgh and London, 1898)
Skelton, John, The Handbook of Public Health (London and Edinburgh, 1890)
References
[1] Public Health (Scotland) Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c.101) s.8.
[2] Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c.50) s.52.
[3] Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c.55) s.77.
[4] Local Government (Scotland) Act 1947 (10 & 11 Geo. VI c.43) s.79, s.87.
[5] Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1892 (55 & 56 Vict. c.55) s.77; Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c.50) s.52.
[6] Public Health (Scotland) Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c.101); Public Health (Scotland) Act 1897 (60 & 61 Vict. c.38).
[7] Education (Scotland) Act 1908 (8 Edw. VII c.64) s.4.
[8] National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1972 (c.58).