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duty of advising that the services of a medical practitioner be
obtained, but no provision is made either in the Act or rules
made thereunder for the payment of fees of medical practitioners
who may be summoned in such cases, and in which the patients
are too poor to pay.
Upon consideration of the representations made to them on
the subject, the Guardians agreed (in cases in which the patient
was not in receipt of poor law relief) to pay the fee of any
medical practitioner called in by a midwife under the rule of the
Central Midwives Board, where the person was obviously too
poor to pay.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
This is an extremely serious affection which attacks the
eyes of newly-born infants. It is usually caused by the
entrance of certain bacteria into the eyes at the time of birth.
The symptoms, redness and swelling of the eyelids, make their
appearance in about three or four days after birth, and the
disease frequently runs such an acute course that if proper
treatment is not applied immediately the eyes are permanently
damaged and the child is rendered blind for life.
The extent to which this disease is prevalent in this
country is shown by the statements made by well-known
authorities that over one-third of the inmates of schools for the
blind lost their sight as a result of this disease. On the other
hand, it is no less certain that if this disease is brought under
efficient treatment when the symptoms first make their appearance
the eyes can be saved from serious injury and the sight
preserved.
Notification of this disease was made compulsory by an
Order of the London County Council, and came into operation
on March 13th, 1911.