London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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9
1935
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 of infants within three weeks of birth.
39 cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum were notified, compared with 60 cases
last year.
118 cases of Ophthalmia were reported by the London County Council and
Health Visitors as against 131 cases during the previous year.
11 out of the 39 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. | Highbury. | Barnsbury. | South East. | The Borough | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum. | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 39 |
| Ophthalmia. Cases reported by L.C.C. | 7 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 9 | 37 | 29 | 110 |
| Cases reported by Health Visitors | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 8 |
Of the 39 cases investigated, both eyes of the infant were affected in 32
instances, whilst in 6 the right eye was involved, and in 1 the left.
Treatment.—16 of the 39 Ophthalmia Neonatorum cases were admitted to
St. Margaret's Hospital, 16 being treated at other Hospitals, and 7 cases were
treated at home by private Doctors.
14 cases of inflammatory disease of infants' eyes were nursed by the North
London Nursing Association for the Council at a cost of £10 18s. Od. In 1934
26 cases were nursed at the cost of £34 17s. Od.
Results .—Of the 39 Ophthalmia Neonatorum cases, vision was unimpaired in all cases. (Two of these cases died from intercurrent disease.)
| Ophthalmia Neonatorum Cases. | Vision unimpaired. | Vision impaired. | Total Blindness. | Deaths. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notified. | Treated. | |||||
| At home. | In hospital. | |||||
| 39 | 7 | 32 | 39 | Nil | Nil | Nil |
MATERNAL DEATHS.
The number of women dying, pregnancy being a factor, during the year 1935
was 16. Our investigations showed 3 to be classifiable as Puerperal Sepsis and 5
from other puerperal causes. These 8 cases would give a Maternal Mortality Rate
of 1.7 per 1,000 registered (" live " and " still ") births. In addition, there were
8 deaths of pregnant women from the following :—2 from valvular disease of the
heart, 2 from pneumonia, 2 from " Violence,"* 1 from rheumatic fever and 1 from
peritonitis. (*In the two " Violence " cases one resulted from self-induced miscarriage
and in the other there was an " Open verdict "—in both of these cases
sepsis had followed.) Taking the deaths as 16 would give a rate of 3.4. (See
Table p, 11.)