Britain: An official handbook > 1966

142
Adoption
PUBLIC HEALTH
Control of
Infectious
Diseases
BRITAIN: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
Provision for legal adoption was first made in England and Wales in 1926,
in Northern Ireland in 1929 and in Scotland in 1930. About 18,500 adoption
orders are made annually by the courts in Great Britain and some 300 in
Northern Ireland; there are always more would-be adopters than children
available for adoption. Adoption is now regulated by the Adoption Act 1958
in Great Britain and by the Adoption of Children Act (Northern Ireland)
1950 in Northern Ireland. The Registrars General keep registers of adopted
children; adoption societies (there are over 80 societies which arrange
adoptions) must be registered with the local authority (in Northern Ireland
with the Ministry of Home Affairs).
HEALTH
The concern of the State with the nation’s health is chiefly a development of
the years since the passing of the Public Health Act of 1848. The second
half of the nineteenth century was notable for the growth of the environmental
or public health services, such as provision of pure water, sewerage, disposal
of refuse and cleaning of streets, and the first half of the twentieth century
for the development of publicly provided personal health services, as distinct
from environmental services, culminating in the introduction in 194^ a
comprehensive National Health Service available to every citizen, scientific
discoveries of importance to medicine and health, including the development
of new drugs, and the improved services of the last fifty years, particularly
in maternity and child welfare, school health services and school meals, are
reflected in declining mortality rates (see p. 9) and improved physique.
Diseases now in the forefront of research programmes include cancer and
diseases of the central nervous system, such as muscular dystrophy. Efforts
are also being made to combat some of the most prevalent diseases which
include, besides the common cold and influenza, heart diseases, rheumatism
and bronchitis.
The Public Health Act of 1936 brought up to date and consolidated preceding
Acts; it constitutes the present basic public health code in England and
Wales. Local authorities are mainly responsible for its implementation and
they have extensive powers for the making and administration of by-laws
relating to matters of public health. T he local authorities chiefly concerned
are the councils of county and non-county boroughs, London boroughs and
the City of London, urban and rural district councils and, to a limited extent,
parish councils.
Public health services in Scotland and in Northern Ireland have developed
on much the same lines as in England and Wales, although they are based on
separate Acts and there is a different allocation of services between the various
types of local authority. The Public Health (Scotland) Act 1897 and the
Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1892 constitute the basic legislation for
Scotland. The local authorities concerned are the councils of counties and
burghs. In Northern Ireland the councils of county and non-county boroughs
and urban and rural districts are mainly responsible for administering the
Public Health Acts (Northern Ireland) 1878-1962.
Local authorities are responsible for the investigation by their Medical
Officers of Health of outbreaks of infectious diseases and for disinfection and
other measures advised by them for preventing the spread of infectious
diseases in the area. They are also responsible to the Ministry of Health (or