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78
Annual Report of the London County Council. 1914.
(4) Vaginal discharge in mother during pregnancy. Solution of perchloride of mercury
(1 in 6,000) used at birth. Onset on the fifth day, both eyes being affected, and medical aid
obtained on that day. Result.—Permanent impairment of the sight of one eye.
(5) No history of vaginal discharge in mother. A weak solution of perchloride of mercury
(1 in 6,000 to 1 in 8,000) used for the eyes at birth. Onset on 11th day, both eyes being affected.
Medical aid was obtained on day of onset. Result.—Sight of left eye normal, but in the internal
inferior quarter of the cornea of the right eye there is an opacity causing partial blindness, but
does not extend to the central point of the pupil.
(6) Definite history of gonorrhoea in both parents. A solution of perchloride of mercury
(1 in 6,000) used for eyes at birth. Onset on day of birth, and medical aid obtained on that day, both
eyes being affected. Visits to hospital were not continued. Result.—Loss of sight of both eyes.
All the midwives who had three or more cases during the year have extensive practices, and it
was found that many of the cases reported were very slight and the eyes were normal in a few days.
So far as could be ascertained there was no evidence that infection was carried from one case to another.
The Council has endeavoured to secure accommodation for the mother and infant so that while
the child was being treated it would not be deprived of the advantage of being breast-fed, but only
two institutions have at present sufficient accommodation for this purpose.
In March, 1911, the Council made an order extending the provisions of section 55 of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1891, to ophthalmia neonatorum. Of the 2,898 cases notified from that time until
the end of this year, 732 were in the practice of midwives. During the year the Local Government
Board issued a series of regulations, known as the Public Health(Ophthalmia Neonatorum)Regulations,
which came into operation on 1st April, 1914. By these, notification of cases of the disease is required
not only from a medical practitioner, but from a certified midwife if the case had not already been notified,
and a fee of one shilling is payable to her in respect of notification. In the regulations, Ophthalmia
Neonatorum is defined as a "purulent discharge from the eyes of an infant, commencing within 21 days
from the date of its birth."During the nine months ended 31st December, 1914, 127 notifications
were received from certified midwives by the medical officers of health of the several metropolitan
boroughs.
Registration
of Lying-in
Homes.
On 21st October, 1913, the Council decided under the provisions of section 4 of the Borough
Funds Act, 1872, as applied by the County Councils (Bills in Parliament) Act, 1903, to promote legislation
in the session of Parliament of 1914 to confer upon the Council power to prohibit the use of any premises
as lying-in homes or institutions unless they and the person or persons in charge thereof had been licensed
by the Council. This decision was subsequently modified by the substitution of registration for licensing,
but the proposals have not yet passed into law.
Work of the Chemical and Analytical Branch of the Public Health Department.
The work conducted at the Central Laboratory at Savoy-hill comprises the examination of samples
received under certain statutes administered by the Council; of other materials used by or for the
Council in connection with its several undertakings and of materials concerning the nature and properties
of which information is desired by Committees or officers of the Council.
In addition, advice on matters involving the application of chemistry, or allied sciences has been
given when desired and investigations have been made, or are in progress,on various matters of importance
to the Council.
The samples examined at the Central Laboratory may be classified under four headings, viz:—
(i.) Examined in connection with Statutes:—
Fertilisers and Feeding Stuffs Act, 1906.—London is not an agricultural county and most of the
samples examined by the agricultural analyst were received from the Council's own institutions. The
effect of this Act and of the Act of 1893 for which it was substituted, has undoubtedly been to stop the
gross adulteration of feeding stuffs with worthless or poisonous materials which was prevalent 20 or
25 years ago, and to ensure that both fertilisers and feeding stuffs with few exceptions are in fair agreement
with their guaranteed composition. On the other hand there has been a general downward tendency
in the richness of feeding stuffs. The goods supplied are in most cases pure but of poorer quality than
they were 10 or 20 years ago.
Petroleum Acts.—Most of the samples examined in 1914 under these acts were of ordinary burning
oil taken by inspectors of the Public Control Department at petroleum stores and wharves, but samples
of quick drying paint, of various varnish and cleansing materials and of paint remover suspected
to contain petroleum were submitted for examination and in some cases proved to contain petroleum
to which the Acts apply. By an order in Council of 1907 certain parts of the Petroleum Acts are stated
to apply to mixtures of petroleum with other substances, as such mixtures present danger similar to
those presented by petroleum without admixture. This order confirmed the view which had been
successfully maintained by the Council of the meaning of the Acts. The samples other than petroleum
were examined in connection with this order.
In connection with the granting and renewal of licenses under these Acts several samples of gas
from dry cleaning plants were examined to ascertain whether the risk of explosion from the light petroleum
used to remove grease and dirt from the materials to be cleaned was reduced to a minimum. Explosions
of a serious nature have occurred in such plants when special precautions have not been taken.
L.C.C General Powers Act, 1912.—An act regulating the storage of the less easily volatile grades
of petroleum and of inflammable oils. In all these cases a somewhat extended examination of the
substances stored is necessary in order that their chemical nature and the applicability of the Act to the
particular case may be determined.