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Opthalmia Neonatorum.
There were 21 cases of this disease notified daring the year.
Under this heading is included every kind of "sore eyes"
occurring in the newly born. They were all visited by the Health
Visitors, who instructed them to immediately seek medical advice.
Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis.
5 cases of this disease were notified.
The following paragraph printed in last year's annual report
represents my view as at present.
Most of the cases diagnosed under this heading in London are
cases of meningitis occurring in children and have been long known
as "post-basic meningitis "or" Still's disease." They have always
been with us, but as they are caused by a micro-organism which
resembles that causing the disease known as cerebro-spinal fever,
which occurs in outbreaks, it was thought advisable by the London
County Council to include them under the term " cerebro-spinal
fever." Dr. T. Houston, of Belfast, who has had an opportunity of
investing a large outbreak which occurred there in 1911 and 1912,
is of opinion that the micro-organisms of the two diseases, although
belonging to the same group, are fundamentally different and give
rise to different diseases, and with this view, on present evidence
I am inclined to agree.
The cases notified in Bermondsey gave rise to no other cases,
but disinfection and isolation were carried out.
Acute Polio-Myelitis.
One case of this disease was notified during the year under
report. The disease is commonly known as infantile paralysis and
is a very common cause of deformities of the arms or legs seen in
adults. It frequently takes the form of an arm or leg ceasing to
grow and on enquiry one finds it came on in childhood. The disease
is an infection of parts of the interior of the spinal cord and exists
in two forms, viz. : sporadic when odd cases occur about a district
and do not spread and epidemic form when several cases occur
together and seem to be connected with one another. The above
case may be described as sporadic.
It is not so fatal as cerebro-spinal meningitis, but it is more
liable to leave paralytic conditions behind. The case recovered but
there was some paralysis of the limbs left. The organism causing
the disease is not known.