View report page

49
diseases. During the year 19 cases of this disease have been
notified (the 20 shown in the table include one in West
Greenwich which was notified by two different medical men,
and is there inadvertently counted as 2 cases), 10 being in
East Greenwich, 6 in West Greenwich, 1 in St. Nicholas,
and 2 in Charlton, of which cases it has only been necessary
that one should receive In-patient treatment at the
Hospital. The others have been dealt with by the nurses
of the respective Societies at their homes, or in some cases
as Out-patients at the Miller Hospital.
In 4 of these cases the attack was very severe in character.
Three of these eventually recovered, though one case, which
was under treatment before notification came into force, will
have a permanent visual defect; the other case proved fatal,
the child dying from an intercurrent affection whilst its eyes
were under treatment. There were 3 severe cases, and 12
cases where the attack was quite of a mild character; all of
these patients satisfactorily recovered. Altogether a total
of 53 visits were paid in connection with these cases.
It was found that occasionally we heard of cases after
the conclusion of the Midwife's attendance, and on enquiry
it was discovered that in several cases the child's eyes were
noted to be affected during the period covered by the Midwife's
attendance, but by means of her treatment the ailment
appears to have been satisfactorily kept in check. On the
conclusion of her visits, however, when such treatment ceased,
then the disease has broken out afresh, necessitating the
calling in of a medical man. It was thought that danger to
the sight might result from this neglect in treatment, and,
accordingly, arrangements have since been made with all
Midwives in this district that they shall keep one fully
acquainted with all the cases arising in their practice, however
slight in character, when we are able to see that the
treatment which has been satisfactorily carried out in the
early part of the illness is properly continued until the