London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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56
Blind
persons.
| Description. | Registration of the blind. | Training of the blind. | Total. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. | F. | M. | F | ||
| (1) Applicants who were examined and were certified as blind | 429 | 507 | 25 | 6 | 967 |
| (2) Acceptance of certificates issued by hospital and private doctors... | 43 | 44 | — | — | 87 |
| (3) Acceptance of certificates issued by hospital and private doctors stating applicants were not certifiable as blind | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
| (4) Applicants who were examined and not certified as blind | 128 | 164 | 13 | 8 | 313 |
| (5) Found blind but unfit for training | — | — | — | 2* | 2* |
| (6) Previously certified as blind and found fit for training | — | —_ | 10 | 6 | 16 |
| (7) Previously certified as blind and found unfit for training | — | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| Total | 602 | 715 | 50 | 22 | 1,389 |
| * Included in (1) above. | |||||
New form of
certificate.
On 5th October, 1933, the Ministry of Health issued a circular (No. 1353) recommending
the adoption throughout England and Wales of a new form of certificate
for use in connection with the registration and certification of blind persons under
the provisions of the Blind Persons Act, 1920. The Ministry also requested that
a copy of each certificate of blindness should be sent for research purposes to the
Committee for the Prevention of Blindness.
The new form of certificate has been in use since 1st January, 1934, and copies
of certificates relating to blind persons are now sent periodically to the Prevention
of Blindness Committee.
Midwives Acts, 1902 to 1926, Nursing Homes Registration Act, 1927, and Maternity
and Child Welfare Contribution Schemes.
Midwives
The Midwives Acts, 1902-1926, and the Rules of the Central Midwives Board
regulating the practice of midwives provide for :—
(a) Prevention of the practice of midwifery by unauthorised persons.
(b) Training of midwives. (The Council's scheme of training includes,
apart from the full training provided in certain of the hospitals,
(i) lectures to pupil midwives throughout London on the Rules of the Board, etc.,
and on venereal diseases to certain of them ;
(ii) post-certificate lectures to certified midwives ;
(iii) grants for special instruction of midwives and midwife-teachers.)
(c) Supervision of the practice of midwives.
(d) Suspension of midwives from practice on grounds of the possibility
of spreading infection, and compensation for loss of practice resulting from
such suspension.
(e) Payment of fees to doctors called by midwives to attend patients in
cases of abnormality or emergency.
(f) Payment of proportion of the annual deficit incurred by Central Midwives
Board.
The eleventh edition of the rules in section E (regulating, supervising, and restricting
within due limits, the practice of midwives) of the Rules of the Central Midwives
Board came into force on 1st October, 1934.
The Board's memorandum on the new edition states that in preparing a fresh
edition of section E, the Board had regard, not only to the inclusion of necessary