[Report 1932] / Medical Officer of Health, Glasgow.

  • Glasgow (Scotland)
Date:
1932
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1932] / Medical Officer of Health, Glasgow. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    35/380 (page 35)
    out, e.g., a cataract case certified blind, but requested to reappear in a year’s time in order to ascertain the results of operation. Through the agency of the home teachers of the Mission to the Outdoor Blind, the necessary information relative to these and other similar cases was collected. In 1932, 145 cases were re-examined, compared with 75 in 1930 and 147 in 1931. The alteration in the decision of the clinic as the result of re-examina- tion was as follows: — (a) Certified blind on first examination and decision unaltered on re-examination, ... ... ... ... ... 38 (ib) Certified blind on first examination and decision reversed on re-examination, ... ... ... ... ... 6 (c) Certified not blind on first examination and decision unaltered on re-examination, ... ... ... ... 51 (d) Certified not blind on first examination and decision reversed on re-examination, ... ... ... ... 18 («) Certified blind on second examination and decision unaltered on re-examination, ... ... ... ... 3 (/) Certified blind on second examination and decision reversed on re-examination, ... ... ... ... 1 (?) Certified not blind on second examination and decision unaltered on re-examination, ... ... ... ... 19 (/<) Certified not blind on second examination and decision reversed on re-examination, ... ... ... ... 4 (i) Others, ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 Total, 145 Treatment.—No treatment is carried out at the certifying clinic, hut with respect to each case, whether certified blind or not, information is sent to the Mission to the Outdoor Blind as to the cause of blindness and the treatment advised. Thereafter the home teachers of the Mission visit the patients to ensure that treatment is obtained, and, if necessary, afford financial help for that purpose. This work, together with the visiting of the home teachers to ascertain if operations, &c., have been carried out, with a view to determining whether re-examination is indicated, may prove to be of great value in the prevention or postponement of' blindness. As regards cases in which routine serological tests for syphilis have been reported positive, special arrangements are made for treatment by the medical officer in administrative charge of the clinic. Serological Tests for Syphilis.—Of the cases examined at the clinic, specimens of blood were submitted to the Kahn test in 554 instances, and of these, 51, or 9-2 per cent., were reported positive. In 1929 the percentage of specimens giving positive results was 12-5; in 1930, 1T5; and in 1931, 91. It should be mentioned that all specimens of serum showing a positive Kahn test are also submitted to the Wassermann Reaction for confixmation.