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106
Ophthalmia Neonatorum (contagious ophthalmia of
newly-born infants) is a disease which is estimated to cause
40 per cent, of the blindness of children in the public
elementary schools. The disease affects infants generally
during the first weeks ot their lives and is often the result
of neglect, or want of care, at the time of the infant's
birth. Whilst the regulations with respect to midwives
have been recently strengthened, compulsory notification is
the first important step in connection with the preventive
measures for controlling the ravages of the disease, for
which treatment is most effective in its very early stages,
and so as to secure immediate knowledge of all cases.
Under the rules (Nos. 18, 19 and 20) of the Central
Midwives' Hoard, midwives are instructed to call in a
medical man in all cases where the infants' eyes are inflamed,
and to inform the Local Supervising Authority (i.e.,
the London County Council for London)) when they have
done so. There are, however, no means of ascertaining
how many midwives fail in this respect, but the result, as
shown in blindness, would appear to point to a good many
cases of commencing contagious ophthalmia having been
neglected in the past, by midwives or others.
A Departmental Committee upon the Midwives Act of
1902, has recently taken evidence and reported, inter alia,
that contagious ophthalmia should be made compulsorily
notifiable, but for this purpose, new legislation does not
appear to be necessary, as the machinery is already in existence
for the addition of contagious ophthalmia to the
list of infectious diseases which are already compulsorilv notifiable
under the infectious diseases notification Acts. 'Several
provincial towns have already adopted the compulsory notification
of contagious ophthalmia, e.g., Fenton, Longton,
Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stoke-on-Trent, Burslem, and
Chester, and it is reported that much good is accruing
therefrom.