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82
OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM.
In August the Ministry of Health issued new Regulations
in regard to the Notification and Treatment of Ophthalmia
Neonatorum.
The Minister of Health stated that he has had under consideration
the question of revising the Public Health
(Ophthalmia Neonatorum) Regulations, 1914, under which
an obligation rests upon a certified midwife to notify any case
in which she has reasonable grounds for supposing that a
child upon whom she is in attendance, or whom she is called
in to visit in the course of her practice, is suffering from
Ophthalmia Neonatorum, unless the case has already been
notified by a medical practitioner. It has been represented
that the system of dual notification by medical practitioners
and midwives has in some instances resulted in complete
failure to notify; and that the fact that, under the Rules
of the Central Midwives Board, a midwife is required to call
in medical help for any inflammation of, or discharge from,
the eyes, however slight, and to send notice thereof to the
Local Supervising Authority, has tended to confuse midwives
as to their duty under the Regulations. The Minister has,
therefore, decided to issue amended Regulations under which
the duty of notifying a case of Ophthalmia Neonatorum is
placed solely upon the medical practitioner in attendance
upon the case, while at the same time an obligation is laid
upon the Medical Officer of Health of a Local Sanitary
Authority to forward a copy of every notification which he
receives under the Regulations to the County Medical Officer
of Health within 24 hours after the receipt of the notification.
2. It will be observed that Article 4 of the Regulations
requires the Borough Council forthwith to cause notice to be
given to all medical practitioners resident or practising
within the Borough of the duties imposed on them by the
Regulations, and it would be desirable to include in the notice
an intimation that in future midwives will not be required
to notify cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum. It is also suggested
that the London County Council should send a similar
intimation to all midwives practising in the area of the
administrative County, and at the same time should make it
clear that, in accordance with the rules of the Central Midwives
Board, midwives are still required (1) to summon
medical assistance in all cases, however, slight, of inflammation
of, or discharge from, the eyes of a child, and (2) to
send notice immediately to the Local Supervising Authority
that such assistance has been sought.
Further, it will be seen that under Article 9 of the Regulations
it will be necessary for the Borough Medical Officer of
Health to send a copy of every notification which he receives