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Infectious Disease among Mothers and Children.
Puerperal Fever.
Two cases of puerperal fever were notified in 1924. Both patients died; both
were married women.
One entered a nursing home previous for the birth of her first child, which
was born dead (post-mature); she was thence removed to hospital; death occurred
two days after the onset of labour. The other was admitted to hospital for
operation following miscarriage; death occurred two months after the miscarriage.
In addition to the two cases mentioned above a third death is classified by the
Registrar-General under the heading puerperal sepsis (see Table II., page 95). The
death refers to a female aged 23 years who died in a hospital in the Borough. As the
result of an inquest the death was certified to be due to septicæmia, general peritonitis,
septic uterus and miscarriage.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
During the year 13 cases of ophthalmia neonatorum occurring in babies born
in the Borough were brought to our notice.
Nine out of the 13 cases were notified in accordance with the Public Health
(Ophthalmia Neonatorum) Regulations, 1914, 7 of the notifications being from
institutions and 2 from private medical practitioners. One of these cases was
only notified after communication with the medical attendant.
One case was notified by the Medical Inspector of Midwives of the London
County Council.
Unless each case is notified to the Local Medical Officer of Health the public
will be ignorant of the real extent of the disease; the whole of the cases cannot be
followed up to ascertain the amount of permanent damage done to the eyesight.
In the following tables particulars are given as to each case:—