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
St Pancras 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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41
be necessary to keep a separate record of deaths following abortion, a practice which is to some
extent adopted in Germany, where cases of Post-parturn Sepsis and Post-abortum Sepsis are
separately recorded.
The following table which gives details concerning Maternal deaths in St. Pancras during the past four years, illustrates the points to which attention has beeu directed.
| Full time Confinements. | Abortions, etc. | Totals. | No. of Inquests or Postmortem investigations. | Mortality Rate. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total. | Excluding Abortions, etc. | |||||
| Deaths from— Sepsis | 2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 2.8 | 1.8 |
| Other causes | — | 5 | 2 | |||
| Totals | 4 | |||||
| Sepsis | 2 | 3 | 2.8 | 2.2 | ||
| Other causes | 7 | - | 7 | 1 | ||
| Totals | 8 | 10 | ||||
| Sepsis | 2 | 2.1 | ||||
| Other causes . . | — | — | ||||
| Totals | 2 | |||||
| Sepsis | 1 | 2 | 1.8 | |||
| Other causes | — | 2 | ||||
| Totals | 2 | |||||
A minor source of uncertainty with reference to these statistics arises from the fact that
the term "Maternal Mortality" is not recognised as a technical definition by the RegistrarGeneral.
That official classifies each death according to the information contained in the
medical certificate, and, where this gives contributory or alternative causes, rules of selection
based on international usage are followed.
It is possible that in the interpretation of these rules some difference of opinion may
occur, and therefore statistics compiled by a local authority with reference to their area may
not a''ree entirely with those compiled in the office of the Registrar-General, but variations due
to this cause are probably slight.
This subject is also considered under the heading "Puerperal Fever," page 73.