View report page

— 15 —
free by the Health Department to those doctors in the Borough
who desired to use it. Out of 98 doctors practising in Hornsey,
60 availed themselves of this offer. There are strong grounds for
believing that the use of such a vaccine at suitable intervals
throughout the winter months affords considerable protection
against those micro-organisms that cause pneumonia and bronchitis.
Those who are liable to such respiratory infections certainly
seem to benefit by the administration of such a vaccine.
Puerperal Fever.—There were 2 notifications of this disease
during the year.
Ophthalmia neonatorum.—This acute inflammation of the
eyes of newly-born children was notified on 10 occasions. The
condition is generally gonorrhceal. The Health Visitors visited
the cases. One child lost its sight in consequence of this terrible
infection, which is one of the common causes of blindness.
Tuberculosis.—During the year 112 cases of tuberculosis
were notified. Although the administrative control of this disease
is in the hands of the Middlesex County Council, we take every
opportunity of disinfecting those houses from which a case of
tuberculosis has gone, and offer disinfection also from time to
time during the illness. During the year 97 rooms which had
been occupied by tuberculous people were disinfected, and 628
articles were sterilised by steam.
Disinfection.—During the year 875 rooms were disinfected
by sidphur or formalin, and 11,439 articles were passed through
the Council's steam disinfector. In addition to these, 178 articles
were destroyed after infectious diseases.
Note.—The attack-rates of the population of Hornsey from
certain infectious diseases have been worked out for the last
twenty years, and are given in Table K. in the Appendix.
ISOLATION HOSPITAL.
At the end of September the Isolation Hospital in Coppett's
Road ceased to be the property of the Borough of Hornsey. For
many years past an arrangement has been under review by the
Councils of Hornsey, Finchley and Wood Green with the object
of making this institution a joint hospital, owned equally by the