View report page

29
aid in cases showing the least inflammation of the eyes is laid upon
the midwife and reporting to the London County Council, but is it
always carried out? In cases which have come under the notice
of the Health Visitor, this has not been done, two of them being
such flagrant evasions of the duty, that the Medical Officer of Health
reported them to the London County Council in order that the
midwives concerned could be dealt with by the Inspector of Midwives
for the County.
"The Central Midwives Board could without doubt give some
very interesting figures relating to the percentage of cases of
misdemeanour reported to them from the various authorities in
England and Wales, in which failure to call in medical aid in such
cases figured. It formed part of the charge in four out of five cases
reported to the Central Midwives Board by Miss Hall when acting
as Inspector of Midwives for the City of Bradford, and in each case
the midwife's name was removed from the roll.
"Even if the Council be afforded by the London County
Council the information furnished by the midwives, what about
cases where there are no midwives? It must be remembered there
is always the grave danger where medical men are called in that
responsible persons may dispense with their services even after one
visit, but if there were compulsory notification these cases would be
notified to the Sanitary Authority and the Health Visitor or
voluntary workers would watch them and the responsible persons
could be dealt with under the Children Act if the infants be not
cared for properly.
Correspondence with the london county council respecting
Proposed Compulsory Notification of Ophthalmia
Neonatorum.
Council Offices, Poplar.
30th June, 1910.
Sir,
I am directed by the Public Health and Housing Committee
to state that they have had under consideration the question of
ophthalmia neonatorum in new-born infants, and the desirability of
making this a notifiable disease under Section 55 of the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891. The Committee, however, in view of the fact
that midwives are required to request the calling in of a medical
man in all cases of inflamed eyes in new-born infants and to notify