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47
with extra nourishment (in addition to the pint of free milk daily)
when needed on medical grounds. This nourishment consists of ½lb.
butter and seven eggs weekly, and is most helpful, as the value of such
foods is very high, and so is their vitamin content. Secondly, we have
begun to carry out routine blood tests on each case as far as possible;
for the results obtained are sometimes of great value in detecting a
particular condition that needs treatment.
(Signed) MARY KIDD,
M.B. (LOND.).
Prevention of Blindness.
On the 6th of August, the Ministry of Health issued Circular
1621 relating to the prevention of blindness and drew the attention of
Maternity and Child Welfare Authorities to certain matters. It was
pointed out that the necessity for improving and extending the
arrangements for the supervision of the health of children under
school age was emphasised in Circular 1550 of the 29th May, 1936,
and it was suggested that a further review of these arrangements
should be made with special regard to the early diagnosis and treatment
of serious eye defects.
The Circular letter referred to the need for the improvement and
expansion of ante-natal services, which had been stressed in circulars
recently addressed to Maternity and Child Welfare Authorities, and
drew attention to the fact that the Report on the Prevention of Blindness
issued by the Standing Committee on the Prevention of Blindness
of the Union of Counties Associations for the Blind directs attention to
the importance of a comprehensive and adequate system of ante-natal
supervision. That Committee emphasised that expert examination of
the fundus of the eye is called for in cases of failure of reading sight
during pregnancy, and that the presence of albumen in the urine may
be associated1 with serious retinal changes. The Committee stated
that they considered that the proper cleansing of a baby's eyes at
birth was the first essential, and drew attention to the most efficient
form of prophylactic treatment, over and above the proper cleansing
of the eyes. On the subject of Ophthalmia Neonatorum, the Standing
Committee expressed certain views as to skilled nursing and hospital
treatment, etc., which are already met so far as Hampslead cases are
concerned.