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The deaths in childbirth in 1933 are shown in the above table but not the death-rates, as, owing to the smallness of the figures, the rates for a single year may be
misleading. The maternal mortality rates are, however, set out in the table on page 22.
It will be seen that the average annual deaths from childbirth per 1,000 live
births for the six years 1928-33 is higher than for the eight years 1920-27. The
increase in the puerperal fever death-rate is .30 or 21 per cent., and in other causes
.12 or 7 per cent.
In view of the increased attention which has been directed to the problems of
maternal mortality in recent years, this upward movement of the maternal death-rate will be regarded as very disappointing. There are, however, certain very
important factors which have to be taken into account in considering these figures.
In the Annual Report for 1928 (Vol. III, pp. 12-26), the then available statistics
relating to maternal mortality were discussed and reasons were given for concluding
that a falling birth-rate tends to be associated with an increase in the maternal
death-rate (p. 13). The extent of the decrease in the fertility of married women is
shown by the fact that in 1921-23 there were 16.7 births per 100 married women
between 15 and 45 years of age, while by 1930-32 the proportion had fallen to 11.9 or
by nearly 30 per cent.