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33
The Consulting Specialist to the Clinic, Dr. Roxburgh, reportsCompared
with 1925 there was an increase of 5 in the number of
Wasserman Tests carried out on pregnant women attending the
Ante-Natal Clinics (vide Table p. 32). Of these the results were
positive (showing the presence of syphilis) in only 10 (1.5 per cent.)
as opposed to 14 (2.1 per cent.) in 1925.
It is satisfactory to find the percentage of syphilis among the
mothers attending the Ante-Natal Clinics falling year by year
(see Table). Another satisfactory feature this year is that the
syphilitic mothers have been discovered earlier in their pregnancies.
The average duration of pregnancy when they came for Test was
5.7 months this year, whereas in 1925 the majority had passed the
seventh month. The average number of injections which each
received was between seven and eight, which was higher than usual.
Of the ten syphilitic mothers discovered all ten had treatment
during pregnancy, this being the first time we have succeeded in
getting 100 per cent. treated. One at her husband's request was
transferred to a General Hospital for treatment. Her pregnancy
unfortunately ended in a miscarriage at 6 months. All the 9
treated in the Borough Maternity Ante-Natal Clinic had healthy
babies. Six of the babies have been tested and found to have
negative Wasserman's, the other three have not yet been tested as
the mothers failed to bring them up. This reluctance to bring
the babies up for test is an unsatisfactory feature.
It is interesting to note the results of the 25 previous pregnancies
in these 9 women, some of which no doubt occurred before
the women became infected. These 25 pregnancies resulted in
7 miscarriages, 2 still-births, 5 children who are already dead and
only 11 now living. Of these some must be syphilitic, while others
are probably healthy as being born before their mothers acquired
syphilis. Comparison of these figures with the results of treated
pregnancies (see Table) shows the great value of ante-natal treatment
in syphilitic pregnant women.
Maternal Mortality.
During 1926 there were ten deaths of women from diseases
or accidents of child-birth, which is equivalent to a fatality-rate
of 3.37 per 1,000 births.
The causes of death and the mortality-rate for the five years
1921-25 and in 1926 are set out in the following table:—