REPORT OF THE ROYAL VACCINATION COMMISSION. 677 



Commissioners of Sewers in the Metropolis, and to authorities in a few 

 large towns. Many provisions corresponding to sections in the Towns 

 Improvement Clauses Act of 1847 are found ia the Public Health Act) 

 and communities were thus enabled to obtain by a simple process powers 

 which they could not previously obtain except by a local Act incorporating 

 sections of the Towns Improvement Clauses Act. 



In 1848 was also passed the Nuisances Removal and Diseases Preven- 

 tion Act of that year, in substitution for a similar Act of 1846 which was 

 about to expire ; and in 1849 this Act of 1848 was amended. The 

 provisions of all these three Acts extended to England, Scotland and 

 Ireland. In 1855 a comprehensive Nuisance Removal Act was, as regards 

 England, substituted for the Acts passed in 1848 and 1849 ; and in the 

 following year there was simiilar legislation for Scotland. In 1860 the 

 English Act was amended ; and in 1866, by the Sanitary Act of that year 

 (to which we shall again refer), the provisions of the English Acts of 1855 

 and 1860, as then amended, were applied to Ireland. 



In 1855, by the Metropolitan Local Management Act of that year, 

 provision was made for the appointment of a medical officer of health 

 and an inspector of nuisances by every, vestry and district board in 

 the Metropolis. This provision did not extend to the City of London, 

 where, in 1848, a medical officer of health had been appointed under 

 power given by a local Act. 



In 1858, the Local Government Act of that year, to be construed with 

 the Public Health Act of 1848 as one Act, was passed, and took efEect in 

 all places where that Act was in force at the time of its passing ; and, 

 as regards England, these two Acts together constituted until 1872 the 

 principal sanitary legislation on the statute-book. 



There followed, however, within the next ten years many public Acts 

 having sanitary objects, some applying to all, and some to particular, parts 

 of the United Kingdom, besides numerous other Acts of local application. 

 We need only now specially refer to one of these public statutes^the 

 Sanitary Act of 1866, which was probably the most important, and applied, 

 in part at least, to England, Scotland and Ireland. This Act, amongst 

 other things, extended the powers of local authorities for the disposal of 

 sewage, and, in amending the English Nuisances Removal Acts of 1855 

 and 1860, added to the definitions of nuisances, especially as regards 

 crowded houses and workshops, and to the duties and powers of local 

 authorities for their abatement, especially in the way of providing means 

 for disinfection and places for the reception of dead bodies. 



In 1867 the Public Health (Scotland) Act was passed— a comprehensive 

 measure which consolidated into one Act, with certain amendments, the 

 whole statute law relating to the public health in Scotland. 



In 1872 a complete distribution of England into sanitary districts took 

 place, and some further amendments were made in the sanitary laws. In 

 1875 these laws were consolidated in the Act of that year. ^ In 1891 

 a Sanitary Act was passed relating to the Metropolis. 



In 1874 an Act was passed for Ireland, containing substantially the 

 same provisions as those which had been enacted in the case of England 

 in 1872. 



