London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Lambeth 1935

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lambeth Borough]

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42
Visits to Children 1-5 (included above) 313
Puerperal Pyrexia, 1st Visits 51
Do. Re-visits 37
Enlarged Tonsil and Adenoid Visits 63
Do. Re-visits 2
The work of the four health visitors is, in a sense, of a dual
nature. They act as a link between the voluntary welfare centres
and the Public Health Department on the one hand, and on the
other are responsible, each in one Parliamentary Division, for
visits to notified cases of ophthalmia neonatorum and puerperal
pyrexia, as well as for visiting all cases of measles not officially
notified. In addition they visit and report upon the home
conditions and preparations for the coming baby in all ante-natal
cases applying for admission to the Council's Maternity Home,
as well as for in-patient or out-patient treatment in confinement by
any hospital or lying-in home whose lady almoner writes for the
information. Their duties include the investigation of a number
of stillbirths and the deaths of young children, and the rendering
of help and advice generally in connection with cases of zymotic
enteritis, and they pay innumerable other visits for various purposes
of health instruction in the homes to those who do not fall into one
or other of the above categories.
Puerperal Fever and Puerperal Pyrexia.
The number of notifications of Puerperal Fever and Puerperal
Pyrexia received during the year was 60, of which 35 occurred in
primiparae, 23 in multiparae, while the parity of the remaining 2
was not ascertained.

The causes giving rise to the notifications are detailed in the following table:—

CausePrimiparaeMultiparaeAnte-natal care
YesNo
Manual interference10183
Abortion2305
Caesarean section0330
Mastitis2350
Influenza, Bronchitis, etc.4480
Pyelitis cystitis5362
H. Streptococcal Infection2341
Tonsillitis2121
Local Uterine Sepsis5041
Various3232
Totals (58)35234315