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
Holborn 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn Borough]
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77
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Notification of Births.
During the year 211 births were registered as occurring in the Borough.
During the same period 194 notifications of births occurring in the Borough were
received. Of these, 176 were from doctors and midwives, 18 from parents.
The mothers were attended at their confinement by: —
Private Doctors 26
Private Midwives 37
Out-patient Midwifery Departments of General Hospitals and
Institutions: —
Externs and others 49
Midwives.—University College Hospital 21
Middlesex Hospital16
Other Institutions 15
Training Institution for Midwives, Myddelton
Square 30
194
Ten of these notifications related to stillbirths.
Number of Births.
The number of births transferred to the Borough from outlying
institutions was 156
The number of births transferred from the Borough to other
districts was 15
The net number of births belonging to the Borough was 352
There are no maternity hospitals or public lying-in institutions in the Borough
but maternity cases arc admitted to a nursing homo in the area.
Births in Crowded Homes.
The following table is an indication of the home conditions of 333 mothers in relation to their confinement: —
| Living in:— | Confined at home. | Confined in hospital. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Percentage of Total Births. | No. | Percentage of Total Births | |
| One roomed homes | 33 | 9.4 | 52 | 14.8 |
| Two „ „ | 93 | 26.4 | 65 | 18.5 |
| Three ,, ,, | 40 | 11.4 | 24 | 6.8 |
| Four „ „ | 14 | 4.0 | 12 | 84 |
| Total | 180 | 51.2 | 153 | 48.5 |
These figures show that many of the women are confined under very uncomfortable
and unfavourable circumstances.