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
St Pancras 1920
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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Certain of the notified births set out in the above table as having taken place in
St. Pancras institutions were of infants of mothers who were not St. Pancras residents. On
the other hand, a number of St. Pancras mothers were confined in institutions outside of the
borough. In the following paragraph the figures for 1919 are given for St. Pancras women
only:—
| *Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital (doctors) | 224 |
| University College, Hospital (medical students) | 1195 |
| „ „ „ (midwives) | 250 |
| Middlesex Hospital (midwives) | 105 |
| Royal Free Hospital (medical students) | 70 |
| St. Bartholomew's Hospital (medical students) | 3 |
| *Maternity Nursing Association, Oakley Square and Myddleton Square (midwives) | 435 |
| 2282 |
(or 38 per cent, of the total number of births).
All the above-mentioned cases were treated gratuitously except those marked with an asterisk, in which reduced
fees were charged.
| University College Hospital | 115 |
| Royal Free Hospital | 32 |
| Royal Free Hospital (Marlborough Maternity Section) | 162 |
| Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital | 18 |
| St. Pancras House | 164 |
| Middlesex Hospital | 136 |
| Queen Charlotte's Lying-in Hospital | 159 |
| City of London Maternity Hospital | 46 |
| Other hospitals | 65 |
| 897 | |
(or 15 per cent, of the total number of births).
It will be seen from these tables that a very substantial amount of midwifery is available
for St. Pancras women from various voluntary agencies. The facilities for home midwifery
in much of' the tenement house property are so bad, however, that an increased amount of
accommodation in the way of maternity homes or hospitals is desirable. In the northern
part of the borough the extern service from hospitals, &c., which is found in the south
does not exist.
The Council subsidizes the provision of midwifery for St. Pancras residents the grants
in previous years having been at the rate of 5s. per extern case and 10s. per intern case. In