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to assist in making this form of instruction complete and successful.
I have to express my appreciation of their valuable and encouraging
assistance.
"THOMAS ORR,
"School Medical Officer.
"26th May, 1925."
Infectious Conditions of Mothers and Children.—Puerperal
Fever. Six cases of puerperal fever were notified in the year.
One occurred in the Chiswick and Ealing Maternity Hospital, two
in private Nursing Homes with doctors in attendance, three at their
homes, two attended at the confinement by a doctor and one by a
midwife. Three of the cases were complicated, one had albuminuria,
one was in feeble health previous to the confinement and one was
an abnormal prsentation requiring surgical interference. One case
was admitted to the Isolation Hospital, and two to the West
Middlesex Hospital; two were treated in private nursing homes and
one at home. Two deaths occrured.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.—During the year six cases of ophthalmia
neonatorum were notified. All the cases were mild in
character and were treated at home with most satisfactory results,
the eyesight in all being unimpaired. Two of the cases were attended
by a doctor at birth and four by a midwife who afterwards called
in a doctor.
Measles and Whooping Cough.—These diseases are not notifiable
under the Infectious Disease Notification Act, but in the weekly
returns supplied by the head-teachers of the public elementary
schools valuable information is obtained of the actual cases occurring
amongst school children. This information calls attention to other
cases in younger members of the same family. Measles occurred in
a mild form in the early part of the year, but no deaths resulted.
Whooping cough on the other hand was less prevalent but caused
three deaths, the death-rate from whooping cough being 0.04 per
1,000 of the population. This rate is low compared with the rates
from England and Wales and London, which were respectively
0.15 and 0.19 per 1,000 population. The measles death-rate for
England and Wales and London were respectively 0.13 and 0.08
compared with the entire absence of deaths in Ealing.