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132
Sterilised Maternity Outfits.
During 1933 a scheme was brought into operation, in association with the
Voluntary Committees, for the provision of sterilised maternity outfits. Arrangements were
made by which these could be obtained either at about cost price, or in necessitous cases below
cost price, according to individual circumstances.
Home Helps.
A subsidy is paid by the Borough Council to a Voluntary Committee for the provision
of Home Helps.
This term is used to describe women who have received a certain amount of training
in domestic work, including the care of young children. They are provided for necessitous
families where the mother is incapacitated on account of sickness or child-birth.
The management is in the hands of a Voluntary Committee, on which the Council is
represented by two members. Dr. Pritchard attends Committee meetings as Liaison Officer.
An annual grant of £250 is made by the Borough Council for use in respect of
maternity cases only.
Three permanent " Helps " were employed throughout the year, and five temporary
" Helps " for emergency cases.
85 cases were dealt with during the year, 79 being maternity and sickness cases.
Puerperal Fever and Pyrexia.
The Borough Council provides Consultants' services, bacteriological investigation and
skilled nursing in connection with cases developing Puerperal Fever or Puerperal Pyrexia.
Hospital accommodation is also available for these cases.
Post-natal care.
There are no clinics devoted specially to this work. Post-natal cases are seen on
occasion at the ante-natal clinics, but the time at these is generally fully occupied.
The question of further provision for post-natal care merits attention.
PUERPERAL PYREXIA AND PUERPERAL FEVER.
Puerperal Pyrexia is defined as any febrile condition other than a condition which is
required to be notified as Puerperal Fever, occurring in a woman within 21 days after
childbirth or miscarriage, in which a temperature of 100.4° F., or more, has been sustained
during a period of 24 hours or has recurred during that period. Puerperal Fever has not
been defined in the same definite manner.
In 1936 there were 23 notifications of Puerperal Pyrexia and 9 notifications of
Puerperal Fever. After the usual investigations had been made, some of these cases were
re-allocated, and the figures finally accepted were
Puerperal Pyrexia Cases 17 —
Puerperal Fever Cases 15 Deaths 3,