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18
(b) Nursing of Cases of Infectious Disease.
Apart from the arrangements made under the maternity and
child welfare scheme, there is no provision for home nursing of
cases of infectious disease. Regular visits are paid to the homes
of those suffering from notifiable diseases, but on these occasions
advice only is given and no treatment carried out.
LABORATORY FACILITIES.
Examination of clinical material is undertaken at the laboratories
of the Clinical Research Association. During the year 34
swabs were examined for the diphtheria bacillus, or for the
haemolytic streptococcus, 195 samples of sputum for the tubercle
bacillus, 18 samples of faeces and 10 of blood and 4 samples for other
purposes. At the same laboratory 31 samples of milk were
examined.
Most diphtheria swabs are now examined at the Isolation
Hospital.
PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS.
Consideration was given to Circular 1621 regarding the steps
which might be taken to prevent blindness and impairment of eyesight.
In this connection the statistics of the Middlesex County
Council register of the blind at March 31st are of interest, from
which it appears that there were three under five years of age;
in the age group 5-16, 50 ; 16-21, 38 ; 21-40, 269 ; 40-50, 267;
50-70, 717 ; and over seventy years of age, 646. 70 per cent. of
the blind in the county, therefore, are over 50 years of age, glaucoma
and cataract being responsible for a substantial proportion of the
incidence of lost sight, whereas ophthalmia neonatorum is now a
relatively unimportant factor. With regard to those matters
which particularly concern the maternity and child welfare
authority, the four recommendations made are already in force,
namely, a comprehensive and adequate system of ante-natal
supervision, with the reference of suitable cases for expert examination
of the eye ; the silver nitrate used prophylactically on infants
eyes at birth, renewed monthly ; arrangements for the institutional
treatment of cases of ophthalmia neonatorum at a hospital with
a specialist on the staff, the mother being admitted with the infant;
and arrangements for the service of school clinics and the ophthalmic
surgeon attending them to be available for children under school
age. Regarding the prevention of disability of the eye following
on infectious disease the council adopted the recommendation that
the medical officer in charge of the isolation hospital should call
in an ophthalmologist to advise on and treat any case of infectious
disease requiring specialist's advice.