In the last few years the close association of hydrops fetalis, congenital anemia of the newborn, icterus gravis neonatorum, and erythroblastosis fetalis has been stressed because of the occurrence of these pathological processes in various combinations in individual children and on some occasions in several of the offspring of one family. The opportunity for observing individually the children...

Ophthalmia neonatorum, also called neonatal conjunctivitis, acquired during delivery can occur in the first 28 days of life. Commonly caused by the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae, infection can lead to corneal scarring, perforation of the eye, and blindness. One approach that can be taken to prevent the disease is the use of an ophthalmic prophylaxis, which kills the bacteria on the s...

It has been shown that total curarization and intermittent positive pressure respiration (IPPR) improves the prognosis of newborn babies suffering from tetanus (Wright, Sykes, Jackson, Mann, and Adams, 1961), but facilities for its use are not always available. The physician responsible for treating a patient may have to turn to simpler means such as tracheostomy. Some consider this essential (...

QUESTION In my office I occasionally see neonates with conjunctivitis. What are the current recommendations for ocular prophylaxis at birth? Do topical antibiotics alone provide adequate treatment of neonatal conjunctivitis? When is systemic therapy indicated? ANSWER All infants should receive ocular prophylaxis at birth to prevent gonococcal ophthalmia. Neonates presenting with signs of conj...

The occurrence of jaundice in the newborn is so frequent and the theories put forward to explain it so various, that the following observations were made in the hope of throwing further light on the subject. Number of Infants Examined.?Over 300 infants (337) were studied. The total number was composed of two large series of consecutive births. No blood tests were made for syphilis, reliance bei...