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46
During last year 401 new patients attended the ante-natal clinics;
a greater number than the year before. Of these, 211 were normal
cases, 161 were more or less abnormal, 9 were found not to be
pregnant, and 20 were women who attended the Clinics for the first
time after their confinements, being in need of post-natal care. 1015
Hampstead births took place in 1937 and 397 pregnant women resident
in the Borough attended our Clinics last year. It is found, therefore,
that 39 per cent. of the expectant mothers in Hampstead received antenatal care at the Rorough Council's Clinics.
We are thankful to be able to record that for six years now, no
deaths in childbirth have occurred amongst a series of 2,056 expectant
mothers attending the ante-natal clinics during that period. Since
1929, there have been two maternal deaths in a series of 2,683
expectant mothers, which gives a maternal mortality rate of less than
1 per 1,000 during a nine-year period (the maternal mortality rate for
England and Wales was 3.65 per 1,000 in 1936). This happy result has
only been achieved, of course, by constant co-operation with the
Hospitals where these women were confined, as well as with the
practising midwives in Hampstead. It is a tribute to the work of the
latter and of doctors and midwives in those particular Hospitals, as
well as to the work in the Clinics.
The neo-natal death rate as it is called, is the death rate amongst
infants in the first month of life and it is believed that it can be lowered
considerably by ante-natal care. With regard to the 397 expectant
mothers attending the Borough Council's Clinics in 1937, six only of
their babies died in the first month of life, and two of these were twins.
The neo-natal death rate was only 15 per 1,000 therefore, in 1937. This
compares favourably with that for the whole country which was
30.16 per 1,000 in 1936.
The number of stillbirths amongst Clinic patients last year was
five, which gives a still birth rate of 12 5 per 1,000. The stillbirth rate
for the whole country was 40 per 1,000 in 1936.
Two measures have recently been introduced at the Clinics which
should improve our methods still further. Firstly, the Maternity and
Child Welfare Committee are now providing needy expectant mothers