London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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Particulars relating to the cases dealt with during 1937 are as follows:—
| (a) Persons admitted— | |||
| New cases (i.e., cases first admitted 1937) | 471 | ||
| 1936 cases confined during 1937 | 6 | ||
| Total persons admitted | - | 477 | |
| (b) Number of admissions— | |||
| For confinement | 468 | ||
| For ante-natal treatment (47 patients) | 52 | ||
| Total admissions | - | 520 | |
| (c) Number of confinements— | |||
| Admitted 1936, confined 1937 | 4 | ||
| Admitted and confined 1937 | 467 | ||
| Total confinements | - | 471 | |
| Admitted but not yet confined at end of year | 1 | ||
| Received ante-natal treatment only | 5 | ||
| Number of deliveries— | |||
| By midwives | 450 | ||
| ,, doctors | 21 | ||
| - | 471 | ||
| Number born before arrival | Nil | ||
| Total births (including 8 pairs of twins) | 479 | ||
| Number of maternal deaths | Nil | ||
| Number of cases notified as Ophthalmia Neonatorum | |||
| with result of treatment | Nil | ||
| Number of infants not entirely breast fed | 30 | ||
| Number of cases notified as puerperal sepsis | Nil | ||
| Number of cases notified as puerperal pyrexia | 12 | ||
| Number of infant deaths (11 still-born, 2 within | |||
| 10 days of birth) and their causes | 13 | ||
| No foetal heart on admission, and foetus macerated 4 | Bronchitis; congenital debility | 1 | |
| Ante-partum haemorrhage, toxic 1 | Prematurity, weakness | 1 | |
| Died during 2nd stage— | |||
| Extended breech 1 | |||
| Persistent O.P. position; | |||
| forceps delivery 2 | |||
| No reasons assigned 3 | |||
| 11 | 2 | ||
In the seventeen years (approximately) from February, 1921,
to the end of 1937 (since the opening of the Borough Maternity
Hospital) 10 maternal deaths have occurred in the hospital among
8,480 births (live and still). The maternal mortality rate for
deaths occurring in the hospital, i.e., the rate per 1,000 births (live
and still) is therefore 1.18 compared with 1.25 for the whole
Borough during the same period.