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with the local authority, and submit to certain rules regarding cleansing and limewashing the premises. The authorized officers have free access to any part of the house at any time. Any case of fever or infectious disease has to be at once reported. See title PUBLIC HEALTH ACT, post.

Under the Prevention of Crimes Act, 1871, keepers of common lodging-houses are liable to penalties for knowingly harbouring thieves or receiving stolen goods.

Concealment of Birth.

If any woman is delivered of a child and endeavours to conceal the birth thereof by any secret disposition of the dead body of the child, whether the child died at, before, or after its birth (a), she commits a misdemeanor. See 24 & 25 Vict. c. 100, s. 60 (EPITOME OF STATUTES), post. Punishment, two years' imprisonment-Not triable at the sessions.

Where bodies of infants are found the clothing or covering on the body should be carefully preserved and examined for any signs of identity. A medical examination should be made of the body to ascertain whether the child was born alive, and if so, by what means it died.

Regarding the examination of the person of the woman accused, see p. 61.

The examination by a doctor of the person of a female servant by direction of her mistress (who believed her to be enciente), was held not to be an assault in the absence of evidence of force, violence, or coercion, the servant having at first remonstrated, but ultimately upon being told she must do so, submitted reluctantly to the examination. (Lutter v. Braddell and Others, 50 L. J. Q. B. 166; 45 J. P. 520.)

(a) The birth of a child born alive should be registered within fortytwo days.

Conspiracy.

Conspiracy is where two or more combine together to execute some act for the purpose of injuring some third person or the public, and is a misdemeanor at common law, punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both.

Conspiracy, &c., to murder is punishable by penal ser

vitude.

It is a misdemeanor to conspire with any other person to accuse any person falsely of any crime, or to do anything to obstruct or defeat the course of justice. See also under title THREATS, post.

In cases of conspiracy the offenders may be tried in any place in which an act was done by any one of the conspirators in furtherance of the common design. Certain conspiracies are triable at sessions. See also titles TRADES UNIONS and INTIMIDATION, post.

Contagious Diseases.

The Act of 29 & 30 Vict. c. 35, amended by 31 & 32 Vict. c. 80, and 32 & 33 Vict. c. 96, contains various provisions for the better prevention of contagious diseases at certain naval and military stations. As to recovery of penalties, see Summary Jurisdiction Act, 1879, s. 20.

The Acts are in force within the limits of certain parishes at Aldershot, Canterbury, Chatham, Colchester, Dover, Gravesend, Maidstone, Plymouth, Devonport, Portsmouth, Sheerness, Shorncliffe, Southampton, Winchester, Windsor, Woolwich.

Section 3 of 32 & 33 Vict. c. 96, empowers a justice on information of superintendent of police to issue a notice to any woman, being a common prostitute, requiring her to submit to a periodical medical examination. A woman may voluntarily submit to such examination. The visiting surgeon

is authorized to detain any woman who on attending for examination is found to be in such a condition that he cannot properly examine her; and women affected with contagious disease are liable to be detained in a certified hospital until discharged by written certificate of chief medical officer.

A woman renders herself liable to imprisonment with hard labour if she refuses to be examined, or if she conducts herself as a prostitute on being discharged uncured from a certified hospital. A woman may be relieved from periodical medical examination on discontinuance of prostitution, provided she enter into recognizances, with or without sureties, for good behaviour.

Persons permitting prostitutes having contagious disease to resort to any house, &c., for prostitution, are liable to penalties.

In Turner v. Ford (41 J. P. 724; 37 L. T. 752) it was held that a metropolitan constable had no right to enter a licensed alehouse to search for deserters and prostitutes without a warrant.

The Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act, 1878.

(41 & 42 Vict. c. 74.)

This Act came into operation in September, 1878. It is divided into four parts, and applies to England, Scotland, and Ireland.

The Privy Council are empowered under the Act to make such general orders as they, from time to time, may consider necessary for better carrying out the provisions of the Act.

Section 32 of the Act contains thirty-four sub-sections, enabling the Privy Council to make orders for preventing or checking disease, and generally for the better execution of the Act.

The Animals Order, 1879 (extending to England, Wales, and Scotland only, now embodied in the Animals Order, 1884), contains the principal orders made by the Privy Council under the powers conferred upon them by the Act.

Local authorities.-Sections 37 to 45 define powers and duties of local authorities, who are described in Second Schedule of Act. Local authorities are required to execute and enforce the Act, to appoint inspectors and other officers, and to report to Privy Council.

The Sixth Schedule of the Act relates to committees of local authorities.

Section 46 provides that expenses of local authority be defrayed out of local rate.

Inspectors.-The general powers of inspectors appointed under the Act are given in section 51.

Definitions.-The term "cattle" as used in the Act means bulls, cows, oxen, heifers, and calves.

"Animals" means, except where it is otherwise expressed, cattle, sheep, goats, and all other ruminating animals and swine. By the Animals Order, 1884, horses, asses, and mules are included.

"Disease" means cattle plague (viz., rinderpest or disease commonly called cattle plague), contagious pleuro-pneumonia of cattle, foot-and-mouth disease, sheep pox or sheep scab. By the Animals Order, 1884, glanders and farcy are also made diseases, as is also swine fever.

Notice of disease.-By section 31 of the Act, every person in possession of a diseased animal is required to at once separate it from other animals not affected, and forthwith give notice to a constable, who is to at once give notice to such person or authority as the Privy Council may from time to time direct. In cases of cattle plague notice is to be at once

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sent to the clerk of the council, Whitehall, London. pleuro the constable is to report to the inspector of the local authority.

The Privy Council are empowered under section 28 of the Act to deal with an outbreak of disease in fairs or in transit.

DISEASES, &c.

Cattle plague.-See sections 10 to 15 of the Act, and Articles 6 to 11 of the Animals Order, 1884.

The Privy Council are empowered to carry out the provisions of the Act in cases of cattle plague, but the local authority and police are required to enforce the law pending the arrival of an inspector or other officer of the Privy Council, and the police are required to assist the officers of the Privy Council.

Pleuro-pneumonia.-See sections 16 to 21 of the Act, and Articles 12 to 21 of the Animals Order, 1884.

The local authority are required to carry out the provisions of the Act regarding declarations of infected place, slaughter, &c. See Third Schedule of the Act as to rules for pleuropneumonia.

Foot-and-mouth disease.-See sections 22 to 26, and Articles 22 to 33 of Animals Order, 1884, also the Foot-andmouth Disease Temporary Order, 1884, the Foot-and-mouth Disease (Slaughter) Order, 1884, and the Foot-and-mouth Disease (No. 2) Temporary Order, 1884.

Under Article 27 of the Animals Order, 1884, the local authority can declare the whole space lying within half a mile from any part of an infected place to be an infected circle. See Fourth Schedule of the Act as to rules for foot-and-mouth disease.

Sheep-pox and scab.-See Articles 34 to 48 of the Animals Order, 1884; Article 39 as to rules in case of sheep-pox;

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