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(7) Ancillary Services.
Incorporated in the Lambeth Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme
are the following ancillary services:—(1) home helps; (2) financial
assistance towards the payment of midwives; (3) sterile maternity
outfits; (4) dental treatment, including provision of dentures; (5) extra
nourishment in the form of pasteurised milk, cod liver oil, and dried
milk in certain instances; (6) convalescent home treatment; (7)
sterilisation of bed linen; (8) ultra-violet light.
The provision of free meals is still under the consideration of the
committee.
(8) Records.
Full records are kept which are transferred as occasion arises and no
action is required to be taken by the Council.
(9) Education.
Every opportunity is taken at the welfare centres and in the homes
by the medical officers and health visitors employed in the Lambeth
Scheme, to enlighten the general public upon the importance of antenatal
and post-natal supervision. Opportunity will be taken of the
circular to impress upon all officers the necessity of emphasising the
grave risks attending interference with the course of pregnancy. It is
doubtful, however, whether there are any women in Lambeth who are
" unaware that any interference with the product of conception with
intent to procure a miscarriage is a criminal offence."
(10) General.
The Council have assured that the best local obstetric skill is available
in all cases in which midwives are required to call in a doctor, but not
being the local supervising authority, the Council can do nothing beyond
providing it for such use as midwives and the doctors they call in care
to make of it.
The circular concludes with the statement that the Minister is arranging
for further research to be undertaken (a) with a view to discovering reliable
prophylactic treatment for puerperal sepsis, and (6) into the possible influence
of the dietary upon child bearing. A third subject, abortion, is under the
consideration of the Home Secretary and the Minister, who have appointed
a committee to inquire into the matter.
It may be noted that of the 40 maternal deaths in the past 5 years from
which the maternal mortality rates of Lambeth have been calculated, 10 have
been due to abortion.
It should be realised that deaths from abortion are classified by the
Registrar General under three headings :—
(1) Suicide, when the abortion is brought about by the activities of the
woman herself.
(2) Violence, when the abortion is induced by others.
(3) Maternal death, when the cause of the abortion is not ascertained.-
Only abortions classified under the last heading are included in the number
for ascertaining the maternal mortality.
In spite of deaths due to abortion, the average maternal death rate of
2.0 for the past five years, based upon 19.971 live births, is surprisingly good
when compared with the rate for England and Wales, which has varied
between 4.1 and 4.6.