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37
0. Public Health (Notification of Puerperal Fever and Puerperal Pyrexia) Regulations,
1926:—
These Regulations came into force on October 1st.
Puerperal Pyrexia is defined as any febrile condition (other than Puerperal
Fever) occurring in a woman within 21 days after childbirth or miscarriage,
in which a temperature of 100.4 deg. or more has been sustained during a
period of 24 hours or has recurred during that period.
The Borough Council are required to enforce the Regulations, and must notify
medical practitioners resident or practising within the Borough of the duties
imposed upon them.
The Council must provide each doctor with a supply of notification forms.
The Medical Officer of Health must forward a copy of every notification to the
County Medical Officer of Health within 24 hours of its receipt, and to the
Metropolitan Asylums Board within 12 hours.
Puerperal Fever has been notifiable throughout the country since 1899.
Experience has shown that for several reasons this notification has been
incomplete, with the result that statistics are inaccurate. The main reason
for the failure to notify is the fact that Puerperal Fever is somewhat
ill-defined. It is not a definite specific disease like Diphtheria or Measles, so
that in some cases there may be a genuine doubt as to diagnosis. There is
also a widespread belief that if Puerperal Fever occurs there has been some
want of care on the part of the doctor or nurse, and this may act as a
deterrent to notification in mild or doubtful cases.
In view of these circumstances, the Minister of Health has decided that in future
prompt notification must be made as soon as symptoms suggesting septic
infection become apparent.
New forms have been provided for this notification and, in addition, the
Regulations also require notification of all cases of Pyrexia arising during the
Puerperal period (21 days) irrespective of the cause to which the fever may
be attributed.
The Minister of Health has doubtless been prompted to take this course owing to
the fact that for a number of years maternal mortality has not declined
proportionately as the death-rate of women from all causes, or as the
general death-rate, or as the infantile mortality rate has declined. In
other words, owing to childbirth, mothers are not sharing equally with the
rest of the community in the improvement which has occurred in public
health.
The Regulations point out that the Borough Council have power, with the
sanction of the Minister of Health, to make provision for:—
(1) Institutional Treatment.
(2) Bacteriological Diagnosis.
(3) Nursing (at home).
(4) Consultation with an Obstetric Specialist.