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
Greenwich 1965
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Greenwich Borough]
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86
Deliveries for the year averaged 57 for each midwife, but as
154 cases booked for home confinement were admitted to hospital
either in the ante-natal period or during labour because of complications,
the figure of 57 does not give a true picture of work done
and visits made. Many mothers admitted during labour are
discharged home early to the care of the midwife.
For the early discharge scheme and for nursing mothers who
are discharged, one part-time midwife does all home assessments
until the 10th day.
| Age | Total con-fine-ments | Parity | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 and over | Not known | |||
| Under 20 | No. | 3 | 14 | 4 | 1 | — | — | - | |
| % | — | — | — | ||||||
| 20-29 | No. | 458 | 17 | 215 | 149 | 58 | 15 | 4 | — |
| % | — | ||||||||
| 30-39 | No. | 172 | _ | 47 | 52 | 46 | 16 | 11 | - |
| % | 26.0 | — | 71 | 80 | 70 | 2.4 | 1.6 | — | |
| 40 and over | No. | 5 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - |
| % | 0.8 | — | — | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | — | |
| Not known | No. | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| % | - | - | - | - | - | ||||
| Total | No. | 660 | 21 | 278 | 206 | 106 | 17 | - | |
| % | - | ||||||||
All ante-natal clinics have general practitioner obstetricians
in attendance and all patients are encouraged to book these for
their confinement. In fact opportunities were provided at clinics
for 33 general practitioner obstetricians to examine, with midwives,
their domiciliary cases. Appointment systems were in operation
at these centres. Every mother booked at a clinic had a full
physical and blood examination, facilities for the latter being
provided by the Devonport Laboratory at Dreadnought Seamen's
Hospital. Post natal examinations were offered to all mothers six
weeks after delivery but the response was not encouraging. Some
mothers did, of course, attend their own doctor's surgery for the