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under these Regulations to the Metropolitan Asylums Board
within 12 hours after the receipt of the notification.
3. It is clearly important that, for districts in which the
Local Supervising Authority under the Midwives Acts are
not also the Maternity and Child Welfare Authority and the
Local Sanitary Authority, there should be definite arrangements
between those Authorities as to the precise steps to be
taken wherever inflammation of, or discharge from, the eyes
is reported by a midwife, or when Ophthalmia Neonatorum
is notified by a medical practitioner, with a view to obviating
any delay in the treatment of the child. Whilst prevention
of the occurrence of Ophthalmia Neonatorum should be
the first aim, adequate provision should be made for such
cases of this disease as occur, by visiting and nursing in the
home and by hospital treatment where necessary; and the
Minister is of opinion that the appropriate Authority to
carry out these measures is the one entrusted with the scheme
for Maternity and Child Welfare in the district.
4. It is understood that the London County Council, on
receipt of a copy of the notice sent by a midwife calling
in medical help for inflammation of, or discharge from, the
eyes of a child, arrange for an immediate visit to the home
of the patient by the Inspector of Midwives, and that an
intimation of the case, giving such particulars as may be
considered necessary, is sent by the County Medical Officer
of Health to the appropriate Borough Medical Officer of
Health as soon as possible after the visit of the Inspector of
Midwives, indicating whether supervision of the case by a
Health Visitor is considered desirable during the lying-in
period. If such supervision is needed, the Borough Medical
Officer of Health should arrange for a Health Visitor to visit
the child and report to him as to whether the recommendations
of the Inspector of Midwives are being carried out and
whether any further measures appear to be necessary.
5. In notified cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum, it is
suggested that, if the patient was originally attended by a
medical practitioner, the Borough Medical Officer of Health
should ascertain personally from the practitioner whether
nursing or other assistance is needed and should arrange for
the provision of such assistance. If a midwife was originally
in attendance, the Borough Medical Officer of Health will
already be in touch with the case through the Inspector of
Midwives.
6. It has been represented to the Minister that in cases in
which midwives call in medical help for inflammation of, or
discharge from, the eyes of an infant, there is often objection
on the part of the mother or her husband if the Local Supervising
Authority attempt to recover the fee paid by them to