View report page

27
The majority of the patients contracted the disease out of London,
most of them abroad.
Twelve refugees from Antwerp who came over in one party,
developed typhoid fever soon after arrival. Examination was made of
a number of others in the Refuge, with the view of detecting others or
carrier cases but proved negative.
Of two notified patients reported subsequently not to be suffering
from enteric fever, one was stated to have para-typhoid, the other
cystitis apparently due to an attack of fever 10 years previously.
This latter was doubtless a "carrier" as his daughter was eventually
notified with enteric fever.
Fifty-two examinations of the blood from suspected cases were made.
One patient (not notified) whose blood gave a positive reaction on two
occasions, suffered from the disease 12 years ago and lie has since suffered
from attacks of enteritis at times.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.—Twenty-eight infants were notified as
suffering from this complaint. In 9 instances it was the first confinement.
Four of the children were illegitimate. Syphilis was noted in 3
cases, and the presence of gonococci in the discharge from the eyes in 4.
Twelve children were treated at hospitals, 3 as in-patients. Twentyfive
were reported to have recovered without permanent impairment of
vision. In one case there was some opacity in one eye. Two infants
died—one from prematurity before the eyes were better, the other from
syphilis, having lost the sight of both eyes.
In each instance the Health Visitor has visited at the house daily,
or less frequently as the circumstances demanded, and has taken steps
to see that proper medical and nursing attention was secured for the
child. The Inspectors of the County Council under the Midwives' Act
have co-operated by calling attention to cases which come under their
observation.
Plague.—Notifications were received from Port Sanitary Authorities
of 10 persons coming to Westminster from districts affected with
plague. They were kept under observation.
C 2