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
Barking 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barking]
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It is to be mentioned too that your Consultant Gynaecologist draws up approved
hygiene for the eyes at birth, your Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon draws up our
approved treatment for ophthalmia neonatorum, and your Inspector of Midwives
takes up each case as it does arise while your Health Visitors follow up each case
and encourage parents to carry out any necessary treatment. It is years ago since
we had a case where vision has been impaired by reason of ophthalmia neonatorum.
The Circular also points out the need for hospital treatment in cases where there
is a possibility of serious eye trouble accompanying or resulting from certain
infectious diseases, especially measles, and here again you re-affirmed your policy
to the local medical practitioners by advising them that you were willing to take into
your hospital eases of non-notifiable infectious diseases, where complications were
present, especially complications involving the eyes.
The following table shows that the number of cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum during 1937 was 5, compared with 10 in 1936. Four cases were treated at home, and in no case was the vision impaired.
| Age Group. | Cases. | Vision unimpaired. | Vision impaired. | Total Blindness. | Deaths. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notified. | Treated. | ||||||
| At Home. | At Hospital. | ||||||
| Under 3 weeks | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | — | — | — |
8. TUBERCULOSIS.
Particulars of new cases of Tuberculosis and of all deaths from the disease in the area during 1937 are given in this Report in the following form :—
| New Cases Notified. | Deaths. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulmonary. | Non-Pulmonary. | Pulmonary. | Non-Pulmonary. | |||||
| Male. | Female. | Male. | Female. | Male. | Female. | Male. | Female. | |
| Under 1 year | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 to 5 years | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| 5 to 15 years | — | 1 | 8 | 8 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 15 to 25 years | 12 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — |
| 25 to 35 years | 16 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — |
| 35 to 45 years | 13 | 6 | — | 1 | 8 | 4 | 1 | — |
| 45 to 55 years | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | — | _ | — |
| 55 to 65 years | 4 | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 65 years and upwards | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Totals | 53 _ | 42 | 15 | 11 | 24 | 13 | 2 | |