Of the three appointed members, one was to be the vice-president of the board, the second a member of the Faculty of Advocates of not less than three years' standing, and the third a medical practitioner with a diploma in sanitary science or public health, or who had been the medical officer of a county or burgh for at least five years.
The first members of the board were[1]- The Public Health (Scotland) Act 1897 (60 & 61 Vict.
c. 38) made the LGBS the "central authority" for public health in Scotland.
These inquiries could be initiated by the board's own inspectors or by written application of a parish council or ten ratepayers of a district.
The board was given the power to appoint commissioners to carry out inquiries, and legal penalties could be imposed on anybody refusing to respond to a summons issued by the board, or who gave false evidence to an inquiry.