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(2) Of these, from ten to fifteen per cent, are "blind
from birth";
(3) Of those so classified, - the vast majority owe their
loss of vision to Ophthalmia Neonatorum or it may
be said that, of the blindness occurring in early life,
and, therefore, of prime economic significance, 25
to 45 per cent. is ascribable to ophthalmia neonatorum.
Effect of Treatment.
The report above referred to states that the disease is
to be regarded as preventable or curable in ninety to ninetyeight
per cent. of all cases; but this really means that by
taking suitable precautions all cases can be prevented, and
that cases which do occur, if submitted to treatment at a
sufficiently early age, will recover without injury to vision.
Estimated Prevalence of the Disease in Willesden.

From these figures it will be seen that the prevalence
of this disease varies from 5.5 in London, as a whole, to
11.7 in Paddington to 33.4 per 1,000 births in Stoke-onTrent.
It may therefore be assumed that in Willesden the rate
is somewhere between the extremes noted, and probably near
the figure for Paddington, say twelve per 1,000 births.