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33
Ante-Natal (V.D.) Clinic.
This special treatment clinic was established in connection with
the Ante-Natal Out Patient Department at the Borough Maternity
Hospital late in 1921. The Clinic is fully equipped with the necessary
requisites for diagnosis and treatment, and is under the
direction and supervision of a Specialist Consultant(Mr. H. Corsi,
F.R.C.S.). The work carried out during 1934 is summarised in
the table on page 34.
Mr. Corsi reports as follows:—
During 1934 the blood of 727 prospective mothers was examined
and of this number 5 were found to give a positive Wassermann
reaction. This represents a percentage incidence of 0.7, a figure
which may be considered a very low one.
Of the five patients found positive one was transferred to the
Surrey County Council, one ceased to attend, and a third had had
courses of treatment in 1929 and 1932 of sufficient intensity that it
was considered unnecessary to give further injections; she did, in
fact, give birth to a healthy baby with negative Wassermann.
A fourth patient with strongly positive Wassermann had always
failed to reach full term during previous pregnancies. In her
instance treatment was given before, as well as during pregnancy.
As a result she went to full term and had a perfectly healthy baby.
Her case was one of the most gratifying the clinic has had.
For various reasons, of which some are indicated above, the
amount of work in the clinic was considerably reduced during 1934,
and it would seem that the time is not far distant when it will be
most exceptional to find a positive Wassermann in any of the
women coming to the ante-natal clinic.
Maternal Mortality.
During 1934, there were 7 deaths of women from diseases or
accidents of child-birth which is equivalent to a fatality rate of
3.15 per 1,000 births(live and still), as compared with 5 deaths
and a fatality rate of 2.15 in 1933.
Six of these deaths occurred in hospital and one at home.

In addition there was one maternal death due to causes not
directly associated with the puerperium.