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
Hampstead 1926
Report for the year 1926 of the Medical Officer of Health
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83
have occurred, and I am again pleased to place upon record the great
help so willingly given in answering my letters.
From the information so obtained the still-births were attributed to the following reasons:—
| Difficult labour | 10 |
| Prolonged labour | 2 |
| Breech presentation | 3 |
| Mal-presentation | 5 |
| Inattention during labour | 1 |
| Dead infant or macerated foetus | 11 |
| Complications of cord (prolapse, around neck, around wrist) | 3 |
| Premature detachment of placenta | 2 |
| Albuminuria hydramnios | 1 |
| Monster | 1 |
All the reports so submitted to me have been placed before the
Special Sub-Committee.
It will be seen that of these cases of still-birth no less than 20
shown in the first four items of the above list were due to the difficulties
of actual labour itself, and were cases in which the services of the
consulting obstetricians might have been advantageously utilised.
Maternal Deaths.
Three maternal deaths occurred in the Borough during the year.
These maternal deaths were due to the following causes :—
Married woman, aged 24 years. Confined in hospital, and died
there on 24th May, 1926, from "Septicaemia and Cerebral
Embolism." Notified as case of Puerperal Fever on 30th April,
1926. Child was born in hospital on 26th April, 1926, but
lived only for a few hours.
Single woman, aged 32 years. Confined in London Lock Hospital
and died there on 2nd August, 1926, from "Puerperal
Septicaemia, following induction for contracted pelvis, 17 days.
P.M." Notified as case of Puerperal Fever on 21st July, 1926.
Married woman, aged 31 years. Died in hospital on 18th
October, 1926, from "Heart failure and prolonged labour.
Exhaustion. P.M." Baby still-born on 17th October, 1926.
None of these cases had previously attended the Borough Council's
Pre-Maternity Clinics.