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welfare of the blind.
Circular 1353 of the Ministry of Health on the certification of blindness draws attention
to the following points:—
(1) A person should not be registered as blind until satisfactory medical evidence
of blindness is produced.
(2) Local authorities should consider the desirability of the examination and
certifying of a blind person by a medical practitioner with special experience in ophthalmology—i.e.,
a medical practitioner in charge of the ophthalmic department of a General
Hospital, or one holding a recognised diploma in ophthalmology, or one who, by reason
of special experience in the practice of ophthalmology, is fully competent to secure a correct
and just certification.
(3) A form of certification designed to be at once a certificate and a record for
compilation of statistics of scientific value, which should be used in every case of blindness
placed upon the register.
The Minister and Board of Education have authorised the Prevention of Blindness
Committee to collate and tabulate the statistics for the use of local authorities.
An appendix to the circular gives intimate technical directions for the use of the certifying
ophthalmologist and a definition of blindness for the purposes of the Blind Persons
Act, 1920. For registration the person must be "so blind as to be unable to perform any
work for which eyesight is essential," i.e., not his ordinary or any particular work, but any
work. It is recognised in this stringency, however, that a person with a recent defect is
less able to adapt himself to his environment than a person whose defect in acuity of vision
is of long standing; and an old person with recent failure of sight, so readily as a young
person with equal defect.
The Metropolitan Society for the Blind, who are the Agents of the Valuation Committee
as regards blind persons in the City of London, report that, for the year 1935, the number
of blind persons was 13. Of these, 9 are males and four females, two being between the
ages of 21 and 40, two between 40 and 50, four between 50 and 65, one between 65 and 70,
and four over 70.
Blindness occurred in five cases after the age of 50 and in eight cases below 50. In
four of the latter cases it took place below 30, and in three cases below 20.
Two of the blind persons in the City are employed, one as a masseur and one as a telephone
operator. The remainder are unemployable.
The Authorities of St. Bartholomew's Hospital have been asked and have agreed to
entertain an arrangement by which examination and certification on the prescribed form
be made by any one of the specially qualified Hospital Ophthalmologists at a fee of £2 2s.
It seems probable that the services of an ophthalmologist will be but rarely required.
No action has been necessary during 1935.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Sixty.eight cases of infectious disease were notified or reported during the year 1935.
In consequence of the presence of the mild type of small.pox, which has been more or
less prevalent in London for the past few years, chicken.pox was made notifiable in the
City of London on the 17th March, 1930. The obligation has again been extended to 18th
day of March, 1936. Appropriate notice to interested parties was given, a copy of which
is reproduced in Appendix of this Report.
In each instance of notified disease a detailed examination is made of the sanitary condition
of the premises where the case occurred and a summary of defects found by the District
Inspector is given on page 60.
In the following tables will be found particulars relating to cases of infectious disease,
and information as to the removal of patients to hospitals.
c