View report page

34
ment, carelessness or neglect may, however, result in more or less lasting damage to
the eyes, in some cases involving loss of sight. This disease, which is a common
cause of blindness, became notifiable under the Public Health (London) Act, 1891,
in the County of London in March. The object of making the disease notifiable
is to ensure that cases shall receive proper treatment with as little loss of time as
possible. It was very necessary as a large proportion of the births in the Borough
are not attended by medical practitioners, and on that account delay in obtaining
proper treatment was very likely to occur. The cases certified since the notification
became compulsory numbered 32. The notifications were at the rate of 9.1 per
1000 births. This number includes the cases of 2 children aged 8 months and 14
weeks, respectively. In each case the eye trouble appeared only a few days before
notification. In the first instance the attack came on whilst the child was suffering
from acute bronchitis; in the second there was evidence of infection from the child
of a neighbour who was suffering from Ophthalmia.
The cases were all enquired into by the health visitor who has dealt with them
in her report (Appendix). Excluding the two cases mentioned above, 17 of them
were under the care of medical practitioners and 12 occurred in the practice of
registered midwives. There was also one other case certified by the Medical Officer
of a Hospital, but no information was obtainable about it as the parents were not
traced in this Borough. Of the cases in midwives' practices 10 had prompt treatment
and made satisfactory recoveries. With regard to the other two, in one the attack
at first mild, only affecting one eye, became very severe and the child had to be
taken to hospital. It recovered, however, without the sight being injured. In the
other case, owing to want of knowledge on the part of the infants relatives
valuable time was lost before efficient treatment was provided. They thought it
was simply a "cold" in the eyes. When eventually the infant was taken to
hospital the sight of one eye was said to be lost and vision in the other seriously
impaired.
Three other cases came under our notice through the Midwives Inspector of
the London County Council. Two were slight and one moderately severe. They
all made good recoveries.
The cases notified as Ophthalmia Neonatorum in London numbered 690, the
rate being 54 per 1,000 births.
cerebro-spinal fever.
Four cases were certified all of which terminated fatally. Three were in infants
under 12 months and the other was in a young man aged between 20 and 25 years.
There were ten other deaths certified from meningitis, but, so far as our enquires
went, they were not regarded as having been due to cerebro-spinal fever. The cases
certified in London numbered 102, and some 9 deaths were attributed to this
disease.