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
Bethnal Green 1923
Report on the health of the Borough of Bethnal Green during the year 1923
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18
twice and do not bring the child again perhaps for a year
or two, until it is seriously ill, sometimes with the early stages
of some infectious disease. This attitude of the mothers should
be discouraged."
MATERNITY CLINIC.
| New ante-natal cases | 387 |
| Subsequent attendances | 479 |
| Total | 866 Attendances |
| New post-natal cases | 98 |
| Subsequent attendances | 90 |
| Total | 188 Attendances |
There were 102 sessions, the average attendance
per session being 10.3.
On the average, the ante-natal cases attended 2.3
times during pregnancy, and the post-natal cases had
an average attendance of 2.
The ante-natal cases, 387 in number, may be analysed as follows:—
| Number of primigravidæ | 71 |
| Full-term confinements, including 4 stillbirths | 299 |
| Premature births | 3 |
| Miscarriages | 10 |
| Not yet confined (March 25th, 1924) | 94 |
| Found not to be pregnant | 46 |
Wassermann reaction for syphilis:—
| Number of blood tests | 15 |
| Number positive | 2 |
The Medical Officer in Charge, Dr. N. Pinkerton, writes: —
"There were three premature births; all of these infants are
alive and doing well. There were 10 miscarriages. The
miscarriages could not be accounted for except in the case
of two of the patients, who were found to have a positive