London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
St Pancras 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
66
PUERPERAL FEVER.
Twenty-three cases were notified during the year, but on further investigation two of
these were found to have been incorrectly diagnosed. Another case (fatal) which had not
been notified came to knowledge by means of the death returns. The actual number of eases
was therefore 22. This equals an incidence rate of 5.7 per 1,000 births, and a case mortality
of 18.2 per cent.
Of the 21 notified cases, 4 were primiparæ (women who had not previously had a child),
and 17 were multipara) (women who had previously had one or more children); 5 cases
followed the birth of either dead or premature children, and 16 occurred after the birth of live
children. In 4 instances some operative procedure or instruments were required at the birth.
The following table gives particulars of the cases which have occurred during the past 5 years, and also states by whom the confinements were attended:—
| Year. | Number of Cases. | Number of Deaths. | Case Mortality per cent. | Number of cases occurring in Confinements attended by:— | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doctors. | Midwives. | Students. | In Hospital. | ||||
| 1921 | *11 | 4 | 36.0 | 4 | 4 | — | 2 |
| 1922 | 11 | 3 | 27.0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 1923 | 20 | 9 | 45.0 | 10 | 8 | 2 | — |
| 1924 | †15 | 3 | 20.0 | 4 | 6 | 3 | — |
| 1925 | ‡22 | 4 | 18.2 | 11 | 4 | 6 | — |
| Totals | 79 | 23 | 29.1 | 34 | 25 | 13 | 3 |
* 1 unattended at birth.
† 1 do. and 1 not notified.
‡ 1 not notified.
Additional institutional accommodation for the treatment of cases of this disease was
provided during the past year. The following copy of a letter, which was sent to all medical
practitioners in the Borough, gives particulars concerning this additional accommodation:—
Town Hall,
Dear Sir or Madam, Pancras Road, N.W.1.
Puerperal Fever.
I am directcd by the Minister of Health to state that he has had under consideration
the hospital accommodation available in London for cases of Puerperal Fever, and he
is satisfied as a result of inquiries that further special facilities both for nursing and
medical treatment are required, with a view to reducing the mortality from this disease.
Arrangements have accordingly been made by the Metropolitan Asylums Board
whereby in future cases of Puerperal Fever will be concentrated, as far as practicable, in
three of their institutions, namely, the North-Western Hospital, Hampstead, the Eastern
Hospital, Homerton, and the South-Western Hospital, Stockwell. Special wards will be
set aside for these cases, and special medical and nursing staffs provided. The Metropolitan
Asylums Board, have also, with the Minister's approval, appointed an obstetric
consultant at these three institutions.