Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1910-01-19
HEADINe OFF BLINDNESS.

BEADING OFF BLINDNESS.
Proposed Measures to Prevent In
lection at Birth.
John E. Ray, Principal State School
for the Blind and the Deaf, Raleigh,
N. c., has issued the following:
A special committee Of the New
York Association for the Blind which
was appointed to investigate the
causes of %preventable blindness and
to cooperate with physicians in seek
ing measures Of prevention, has re-
ported that the State Board OF
Health has taken steps, to insure
against the widespread cause OF
blindness through infection at birth.
Tie committee has found that
about one-half of all blindness is due
to %preventable causes, and that about
one-third of the cases OF blindness
in children is caused by o%phthalmia
neonatorum, a preventable infectious
disease occrring at birth. A drop of
a l per cent solution of silver nitrate
dropped into the eyes of a child at
birth is a sufficient preventive OF
this infection. The.use of this anti
septic has been recommended by the
American Medical Association, and
| the committee of the New York Assoc
citation for the Blind has united with
the State Commissioner of Health In
enforcing the general use OF THIS
p~reeaution. Tie State Commissioner
of Health will endeaYor to provide
this solution through local health Of
fcers to any physician and midwife,
applying for it.
Birth certificates issued by the
State Department now bear the
query: "Wha: prevetiye for ophthal.
mia neonatorum did You dse?" II
none. state the reason therefor. 1t
has been enacted that these notifca-
lions of birth be returned in thirty
six hours instead Of ten days. rs
heretofore. 1t is believed that II a
physician or midwife has failed to
use such a preventive the reminder
on the birth certificate will in most
| instances prove. effective.
The above is a clipping taken from
a recent issue of the. New York Sun.
It tells. its own story. 1t shows that
the authorities of at least one State
are alive to the appalling condition
which confronts the commonwealth.
Nor is New York the only State in
which active efforts are being put
forth to ''head off" one of the most
distressing calamities which can be-
fall a human being. And to realize
that much of this distressacan be pre-
vented is a loud call toSevery citizen
in the nation.
There are enrolled the present ses-
sion in the North Carolina State
School for the Blind and Deaf 26S.
blind children (besides 100 deaf chill
dren.) At least one-fourth of these
need never have been blind, and
would not have been, if proper pre-
ventive remedies had been employ
ed within twenty-four hours after
/ the birth of the child. Gentle reader;
do you realize that there are from
sixty-fve to ninety children In this
school doomed to a life of darkness
and a handicap in the race for
bread-winning all their days-some
of them to lead the lives of helpless
dependents, if not abjeet paupers7
And there are still at least l2S more
blind children in the State who have
not been enrolled in u school at all.
This will make the figures the more
appalling-one hundred and thirty
blind children in North Carolina
whose sight might have D~een4presery-
ed with a little care exercised and al
most without expense!
And let every physician andllmidz
4 wife in North Carolina supplyShim-
self or herself with this preparation
and attend to its proper administra7
ton in every a Care should be
taken that the solution Sail not be
stronger thanl one per cent.
There is yet another phase Of pre-
vcntable blindness about which /
will not write. fully now. It is in.
connection with hereditary blindness.
I had not laid much stress upon this
until I read a very learned treatise
recently written by Clarence Loeb, A..
NJ, NJ. D., of ST.. Louis, Mo. Heshas
examined thoroughly and minutely
into the history of 1904 families in
ali parts of. the United States in
which II or both parents were blind
from one to twelve diseases of the
eye. The percentage 'of blindness in
the 4,155 children born in these
families varies from A.S to 66.4. And
20 my surprise the percentage of
blindness in the collateral heredity is
greatest, VIZ: 66.4! DR.. Loeb con-
Guides from the results Of his in
vestigations that persons born blind
(congenital) ought never to marry.
-HttN.G-H