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13
OTHER NOTIFIABLE DISEASES.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum. Thirty cases of ophthalmia in new-born infants were notified
during the year, including 12 by midwives in accordance with the provisions of the Public Health
(Ophthalmia Neonatorum) Regulations, 1914, but 2 of these had been notified by medical practitioners,
so that the new cases notified by midwives numbered 10.
In addition to the notified cases of ophthalmia, 10 infants were reported by the London County
Council Inspector of Midwives as suffering from inflammation of the eyes, which did not result in
any impairment of vision. The Health Visitors visit every case of inflammation or ophthalmia in
their respective districts as soon as the notification is received, and assist the mother of the infant
to obtain the necessary treatment.
Where the eyes require constant attention the local branch of the Queen Victoria Jubilee
Institute has very kindly arranged for their nurses to attend, at the request of the Health Visitors,
on children who are under medical treatment in their homes. Similar arrangements have also been
made with the Ranyard Nurses, who are prepared to pay four visits daily to cases of ophthalmia
in their district on the Hammersmith border of North Kensington. In certain cases it has also
been found possible for patients to attend daily at the Western Ophthalmic Hospital in Marylebone,
which is within easy access by train from Notting Hill Station. The London Hospital is
unfortunately the only public institution in London, with the exception of the Infirmaries, where
the mother and child can both be received as in-patients. Where immediate removal to hospital
of mother and child is imperative, the Metropolitan Asylums Board ambulances are available without
charge for the purpose.
Epidemic Cerebro-spinal Meningitis.—Thirty-nine cases of this disease were notified
during the year, 21 of males, and 18 of females, and the deaths numbered 21. The following
Table sets out the notifications and deaths at certain age-periods:—
Age-period. Notifications. Deaths.
Under 1 year of age 7 6
Between 1 year and 5 years 13 6
„ 5 years „ 15 7 2
„ 15 „ „ 25 „ 4 1
„ 25 „ „ 45 „ 5 4
45 years and upwards 3 2
Totals 39 21
Thirty-four of the patients were removed for institutional treatment, of whom 18 died.
Bacteriological examination was made in 13 cases, ten of which gave a positive result.
NON-NOTIFIABLE EPIDEMIC DISEASES.
The immense cost which the community is called upon to bear in order that persons suffering
from Scarlet Fever, Diphtheria, and certain other notifiable diseases may be removed from their
homes and isolated in Hospital diverts in some measure the attention of the public from the very
heavy mortality which results from epidemics of the diseases which are not notifiable. The part
played by these two artificial classes of disease has accordingly been represented in the following
Table of deaths occurring in the year 1915:—

Comment on such figures is unnecessary, except to say that they illustrate the urgency of
the problem presented by such diseases as diarrhoea and measles without necessarily indicating
This disease became notifiable on January Ist, 1916.