Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/2163

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LEGAL MEMORANDA
1953

Sanitary Authority. On request of the master the sanitary authority must provide for the removal, etc., of such rubbish.[1]

Penalty on letting Infected Premises.—Any person who knowingly lets any premises in which a person has been suffering from a dangerous infectious disease, without having the premises, and all articles liable to retain infection, disinfected to the satisfaction of a legally qualified medical practitioner, (as testified by a certificate signed by him,) or, in the case of articles, destroyed, will be liable to a fine not exceeding ₤20.[2]

Any person letting, or showing for the purpose of letting, any premises who, on being questioned by any person negotiating for the hire of them, as to the fact of there being, or within six weeks previously having been, therein any person suffering from a dangerous infectious disease, knowingly makes a false answer to such question, will be liable to a fine not exceeding ₤20, or to imprisonment with or without hard labour for a period not exceeding one month.

Duty imposed on Persons vacating Infected Premises.—The following provision is in force within the area subject to the jurisdiction of the London County Council, and may be adopted by the local authority of any sanitary district elsewhere:—

Where a person ceases to occupy any premises in which a person has within six weeks previously suffered from any dangerous infectious disease, and either—(a) Fails to have such premises and all articles therein liable to retain infection disinfected to the satisfaction of a legally qualified medical practioner (as testified by a certificate signed by him), or such articles destroyed; or (b) Fails to give the owner or master of the house notice of the previous existence of such disease; or (c) On being questioned by the owner or master, or by any person negotiating for the hire of such premises, as to the fact of having within six weeks previously been therein a person suffering from any dangerous infectious disease, knowingly makes a false answer,—

He will be liable to a fine not exceeding £10

Penalty on Exposure of Infected Persons or Things.—If any person while suffering from a dangerous infectious disease willfully exposes himself without proper precautions against spreading the disease in any street, public place, shop, or inn; or being in charge of any person so suffering, thus exposes such sufferer; or gives, lends, sells, transmits, removes or exposes, without previous disinfection, any bedding, clothing, or other articles which have been exposed to infection from any such disease, he will be liable to a fine of £5.

Within the area subject to the jurisdiction of the London County Council, any person who while suffering from a dangerous infectious disease enters a public conveyance, and any person who knowingly places such person therein, is liable to a fine of £10. Elsewhere the penalty is £5, and is limited to cases where no proper precautions are taken, and the driver or conductor is not informed of the existence of any infection.

Existence of an Infectious Disease to be notified.—Where an inmate of a house is suffering from any of the infectious diseases mentioned below, the head of the family to which such person belongs, or in his default the nearest relatives of the patient present in the building or being in attendance on him, or in default of such relatives every person in charge of or in attendance on the patient, or in default of any such person, the occupier[3]of the house must, as he becomes aware that the patient is suffering from such infectious disease, send notice thereof in writing to the medical officer of health for the district.

  1. But only within the Metropolitan district.
  2. For the purposes of the above provision, the keeper of an inn is to be deemed to let for hire part my person admitted as a guest.
  3. The expression "occupier" includes a person having the charge, management, or control of a building or of the part of a building in which the patient is, and in the case of a house, the whole or in the case of a lodging-house, the whole of which is let to lodgers, the person receiving the rent, either on his own account or as the agent of another person