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42
The Public Health (Ophthalmia Neonatorum) Regulations,
1926.—These regulations, along with an explanatory
circular (Circular 617), were issued by the
Ministry of Health in August, 1926. The regulations
came into force on 1st January, 1927.
According to the Rules of the Central Midwives'
Board a certified midwife must call in a doctor in these
cases. Under the Public Health (Ophthalmia Neonatorum)
Regulations, 1914, a midwife was required to
notify such cases to the Medical Officer of Health
unless this had already been done by a doctor. Alternatively
the doctor was required to notify. This
dual notification has been found to be unsatisfactory
and under the regulations of 1926 the midwife is not
required to notify as the onus is placed entirely on
the medical practitioner. Under Article 4 of the
regulations the Borough Council is required to give
notice forthwith to all medical practitioners resident
or practising in the Borough of the duties imposed
on them by the regulations. The Borough Medical
Officer of Health must also send a copy of every
notification he receives under the regulations to the
Metropolitan Asylums Board within twelve hours
of the receipt of the notification. The Borough
Medical Officer of Health receives information of the
existence of cases of ophthalmia neonatorum mainly
from two sources, from the doctor notifying the case,
and from the London County Council, whose Inspector
of Midwives visits their homes on receiving a copy of
the notice sent by the midwife calling in medical help.
The cases are visited by the Borough Council's Health
Visitors and kept under supervision. The services
of the District Nursing Association are available for
mild cases and accommodation is available both for
mother and infant in St. Margaret's Hospital, Kentish
Town, on application by a doctor to the Metropolitan
Asylums Board.
Circular 617 suggests that if the case was originally
attended by a medical practitioner the Borough
Medical Officer of Health should ascertain personally
whether nursing or other assistance is required and