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This is partly due to the fact that practically all the patients arc removed to
Fever Hospitals, where they have a better chance of recovery than they would
at their own homes, and partly to the change of type in these diseases.
Measles and Whooping Cough are not notifiable diseases. The number
of deaths is less than in former years. This may be due possibly to a change
in type of the diseases, but more probably to the teaching received at the
Infant Welfare Centres, where it is impressed on the mothers that these diseases
are not of a trivial nature which can be ignored.
In the first and second years of the Council's existence, the deaths from
Lnteric Fever numbered 47 and 33 respectively. During the whole of the last
five years the total number of deaths from this disease has been 9. In two
of these five years there was not a single death. This improvement has been
due to improved water supply, better supervision of food, and better sanitation
generally.
During the last five years, 183 cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum have been
notified but no blindness has resulted thereby, and in only six cases has vision
been impaired. This is a disease which causes a purulent discharge from the
eyes of newly-born children, and is notifiable if it occurs within 21 days of
the date of birth. It is a disease which, if neglected, will cause total blindness,
and has in the past been responsible for a good deal of blindness When
a case is notified by a general practitioner (and the certificate is often brought
by hand to the Public Health Office to save delay) the Health Visitor visits on
the same day usually. If she finds that local applications to the eyes are
necessary, oftener than the doctor is able to give, and the patient is treated
at home, the East London Nursing Society is immediately communicated with
by telephone, and a request is made to send a nurse. It is left to the discretion
of the nurse to visit and apply treatment as often as she considers necessary,
or as often as the doctor in attendance requires her to do so. The
Borough Council pays for this nursing attendance per visit and not per ease,
so that there is no reason why the baby's eyes should not receive prompt
attention, and proper care. The fact that there has been no blindness due to
this disease during the last five years and that vision has only been impaired
in six babies, is very satisfactory.
(6) Tuberculosis.—The deaths from Phthisis during the last five years
were one-half the number that occurred annually when the Borough Council
first came into existence, and the deaths from Tuberculosis—other than
Phthisis—were less than one-quarter what they were at that time. The three
Voluntary Dispensaries and the staff were taken over by the Borough Council