In 1909 the Legislature of New Brunswick passed an Act to assist in "the prevention and
cure of tuberculosis". It was the launch of an ambitious inquiry, which spoke to the concern for
the subject. It provided the appointment of seven commissioners, who were not paid for their
services, and a sizeable budget of $15 000. From their report, it appears that the Commissioners were as ambitious as the act which
created the Commission. The report and appendices provide detailed accounts of the measures
taken by other cities, with special attention given to Apart from the fact finding and expository components of the inquiry, the Commissioners
also made extensive recommendations for combating the spread of tuberculosis. Their
recommendations fall into three categories: educational, medical, and bureaucratic or
administrative. As to the former, the Commissioners proposed that, through pamphlets and
newspaper articles, the public be better informed about the nature of the disease; that there be a
"travelling educational exhibition on tuberculosis"; and that children study the disease in health
class in the public school system. Medical measures included assigning nurses to visit the homes
of the sick; free examinations "in all necessary cases"; and mandatory medical inspections of
schools. Finally, the Commissioners suggested administrative changes, including greater powers
for the h.c. Commissioners:
Documents Available for Viewing
Title Acrobat HTML Images Main Report pdf Full-text gif Enabling Legislation pdf Full-text included with Main Report Bibliographic Information
View the file's header (TEI format) which contains bibliographic information about the print and electronic versions of the report of this Commission.
