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54
is failure to notify. These latter cases are, as a rule, of a
temporary character, hut the line of demarcation between
the mild case and the early acute case of ophthalmia is so
ill-defined that every case requires notification if proper
supervision and prevention is to he exercised.
Three cases were notified under the Regulations in
1937, and in all cases treatment was carried out in the
homes of the patients with satisfactory terminations.
Epidemic Diarrhoea.
At the end of the year an epidemic of Sonne's Bacillus
Dysentery was widespread, not only in Bromley, but also
over the whole country. This disease affected even breast
fed babies, and was the cause of an increased death rate of
epidemic diarrhoea, and was also the main cause of the
increase in our Infantile Mortality Rate for 1937. There
were seven deaths of infants from this cause—a cause of
deaths which had been absent in Bromley for many years.
Every effort was made to trace the origin of this
bacillus not only by myself, but by most medical officers
of health throughout the country. All efforts produced
negative results. There appeared to be no common source
of infection, and, as in the case of influenza, the spread
was mainly due to infection from already infected persons.
This does not, however, satisfactorily explain the disease
in breast fed babies being the only case in the family, or
friends of that family.
At one stage I suspected tomato juice, often given to
babies as an antiscorbutic. As most of the tomatoes at that
time were imported from Teneriffe, they appeared to he a
possible source of' infection, but further investigation
proved negative.
Although this disease in adults does not lead to fatal
results, in the case of young infants the lowering of
resistance by an acute attack gives rise frequently to
superimposed diseases terminating in death.
Public Health Act, 1936. Child Life Protection.
The principle laid down in Bromley that only one
foster child be allowed to one foster parent works well and