London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
1929] 10
REPORT ON MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE WORK.
Municipal Health Visitors.
OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM AND OPHTHALMIA.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum is an inflammatory disease with purulent discharge
occurring in the eyes if infants within three weeks of birth.
69 cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum were notified, compared with 78 cases
last year.
75 cases of Ophthalmia were reported by the London County Council and
Health Visitors as against 61 cases during the previous year.
29 out of the 69 cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum were attended at birth by
midwives.
The cases occurred in the sub-registration districts as follows:—
| Tufnell. | Upper Holloway. | Tollington. | Lower Holloway. | High-bury. | Barnsbury. | South East. | The Borough | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ophthalmia | ||||||||
| Neonatorum. | 5 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 22 | 16 | 69 | |
| Cases notified by Doctor | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 27 |
| Ophthalmia. | ||||||||
| Cases reported by L.C.C. | 5 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 14 | 27 | 71 | |
| Cases reported by Health Visitors | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 4 | ||
Of the 69 cases investigated, both of the infants' eyes were affected in 60
instances, whilst in 8 the right eye was involved, and in 1 the left.
Treatment.—10 of the 69 Ophthalmia Neonatorum cases were admitted to
St. Margaret's Hospital, 28 being treated at other hospitals.
31 cases were treated at home by private Doctors.
35 cases of inflammatory disease of infants' eyes were nursed by the North
London Nursing Association for the Council at a cost of £38 6s. In 1928 36 cases
were nursed at the cost of £34 2s.
Results.—Of the 69 Ophthalmia Neonatorum cases, vision was impaired in
one case only.
There were two fatal cases during the year.
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum Cases. | Vision unimpaired. | Vision impaired. | Total Blindness. | Deaths. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notified, | Treated. | |||||
| At home. | In hospital. | |||||
| 69 | 59 | 10 | 66 | 1 | Nil | 2 |
MATERNAL DEATHS.
The number of women dying in, or in consequence of, child-birth during the
year 1929 was 27, or 4.9 per 1,000 registered births. Of this number 14 occurred
from Sepsis (Puerperal Septicaemia); whilst 13 died from other diseases of childbirth.
The deaths for the preceding year numbered 25 and were equal to the proportion
of 4.3 per 1,000 births.