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If this number represents the total number of still-births attended by midwives it would mean
that some 2 per cent, of the children delivered by midwives are still-born. As a matter of fact, with
two exceptions, the midwives who had seven or more cases of still-birth in their practice had an
incidence of still-births ranging from 2'3 to 44 per cent, of total births in their practice. There is
reason to believe that all the cases are not notified, and by comparing the number of cases attended
by those midwives who send in weekly lists of births with the still-births notified by the same midwives,
over 3 per cent, of the cases would appear to be still-born. Out of 2,700 children delivered
by midwives of the Royal Maternity Charity 80 were still-born, or nearly 3 per cent.
Midwives notifying still-births were asked to supply information as to (a) the period of the gestation
of the child, (b) whether it was macerated or not, (c) the presentation. Question (c) was added to
the form during the year, so that particulars on this point are not obtained for the whole year. The sex
of the child was given in 487 cases—264 were male children and 223 female. On question (a) information
was received in 502 cases as follows :—
Full term 212
Eight months . 80
Seven 84
Six „ 55
Under six months 19
Premature (number of months not stated) 52
502
To question (b) 465 replies were received.
283 were said to be more or less macerated.
182 „ „ not macerated.
In 242 cases question (c) was answered.
Ordinary vertex presentations 143
„ breech and footling 60
Complicated and other presentations 24 i
No statement, as child was born before midwife's arrival ... 15
242
Of the 212 full-term children 112 were not macerated. The presentation in the not macerated
full-term cases was not stated in 37 cases, but of the others 39 were vertex presentations and 36 breech
or other presentations. In 12 cases the midwife attributed the death of the child to ante-partum