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
Camberwell 1924
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Camberwell.
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43
Maternal Mortality.
During the year considerable prominence was given to the
question of the diminution of the maternal and infant death rate,
and suggestions were offered in a Ministry of Health Circular as to
the means to be employed to reduce the risk involved in childbirth.
The Circular in question formed the subject of a report from
me to the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee, in which I
emphasised the importance of adequate professional care of the
expectant mother; the need for midwives to realise the importance
of constant medical supervision of prospective mothers; dental
treatment, and the advantages of institutional treatment.
The importance of a thorough pelvic examination during the
puerperium cannot be overstated. It is only by such examinations
can diseases arising from childbirth be discovered at an early stage,
when they are more amenable to treatment and cure.
It has been well said that as ante-natal care is preventive
midwifery, so post-natal care was preventive gynaecology.
The mortality from this cause for the past six years is shown in the following table : —
| Year. | Total No. Deaths. | From Sepsis. | Other Causes. | Deaths per 1,000 Births. | Total Child-Birth. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sepsis. | Other Causes. | |||||
| 1919 | 21 | 9 | 12 | 1.73 | 231 | 4.04 |
| 1920 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 1.06 | 0.79 | 1.85 |
| 1921 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 1.42 | 1.11 | 2.53 |
| 1922 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 1.29 | 1.47 | 2.76 |
| 1923 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 1.59 | 1.94 | 3.53 |
| 1924 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 1.94 | 1.36 | 3.30 |
Maternity Ward.
The value and the extent of the use of the facilities provided
by the establishment of a Municipal Maternity Ward containing
six beds at the St. Giles' Hospital, Camberwell, may be judged by
the subjoined table, which sets out the result of the first complete
year's work of the scheme for the accommodation of patients whose
domestic conditions are unfavourable for confinement in their own
homes, and for patients showing some abnormality, either during
pregnancy or at the time of labour.
Municipal Maternity Ward. Summary of Work, 1924.
Number of ante-natal examinations 666
„ „ abnormalities and diseases requiring treatment found 36
„ „ patients confined 113
(a) Normal labour 98
(b) Abnormal labour 15