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
City of Westminster 1921
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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and the second that an extraordinary number of stillbirths fall within the
hopeful purview of prevention by adequate ante-natal supervision.
Attendance during Confinement.—The Council's midwife attended necessitous women and emergency cases in the Pimlico area.
| Number of cases attended— | |
| As midwife | 103 |
| On emergency | 13 |
| With hospital students | 2 |
| With private doctor | 1 |
| Total | 119 |
| Number of— | |
| Pre-natal visits | 919 |
| Lying-in visits | 880 |
| Subsequent visits | 115 |
| Visits to infants under 1 year other than lying in visits.. | 158 |
| Total number of visits | 2,072 |
| Weekly attendances at ante-natal clinics :— | |
| 1, Pimlico Road | 83 |
| 15, Bessborough Street | 105 |
| Total | 188 |
In the St. John and St. Margaret's area, the Health Society has two
niidwives. They attended 129 cases, paying 1,508 midwifery visits
and 413 nursing visits.
Number of cases attended—
As midwife 66
With hospital students 39
With private doctors 24
They also attended at the Centre on 52 afternoons to interview expectant
mothers.
Puerperal Fever and Mortality in Childbirth.—Ten cases of puerperal
fever occurred. This term includes a number of conditions varying
from slight and temporary rises in temperature to severe cases of septic
poisoning. Four of the cases resulted from attempts to cause abortion,
two were cases complicated with pre-existing abnormal conditions
requiring serious operations, and one proved to be pneumonia.
Thirteen women died after childbirth, viz., from criminal abortion, 3;
hemorrhage, 1; pneumonia, 2; pulmonary embolism, 2;. prolonged