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MATERNAL MORTALITY.
The enquiries into maternal deaths, which the Ministry of Health has required to be
conducted, has not called for any particular organisation in my Department. With a small
City resident population, few deaths in this category are reported. Where such cases do
occur, investigations are conducted by me. One case was reported during 1935.
It may be of interest to note that, from 1900 to 1935 inclusive, only 17 maternal deaths
have occurred amongst City residents.
a service of salaried midwives.
The institution of a service of salaried midwives has been the subject of consideration
during the year, and although in the City of London, I do not think that such an appointment
will be necessary, in more thickly.populated areas they would fill a very useful vacancy in
social service work. The question as to whether these should be under the control of the
County Council or the authority charged with the administration of the Maternity and
Child Welfare Acts is one which is the subject of controversy.
maternity and child welfare.
Provision of Dentures for Mothers and Expectant Mothers.
For some time past I have felt that work in connection with the Corporation maternity
and child welfare responsibilities has been to some extent handicapped by the fact that
some of the City mothers in urgent need of dental treatment have not been in a position to
meet the necessary cost, and after consideration of the circumstances, the Public Health
Committee decided to make this provision, which is authorised under Section 1 of the
Maternity and Child Welfare Act, 1918, in cases where I am satisfied that it is essential
in the interests of the mother and that the financial circumstances of the individual justifies it.
provision of milk for school children.
The Milk Act, 1934, authorised a scheme for the provision of milk for school children
and has as its object the increase in the demand for milk in schools by lowering the price
to scholars who are young children and young persons attending schools or courses for
unemployed boys or girls recognised for grant by the Board of Education.
The special price to these consumers is ½d. per⅓ pint and the milk is supplied in ⅓-pint
bottles. Free milk is also provided in cases where children are unable to pay and where
necessity is certified by the Education Authorities' Medical Officer.
A scheme for the detailed and administrative control has been put into operation and,
so far as London is concerned, it has been agreed that milk supplied under the scheme shall
be pasteurised milk and comply with the Milk (Special Designations) Order, 1923.
Fifteen samples for bacteriological examination have been taken from time to time
by your officers of these milks as delivered to the various schools in the City where the
scheme is in operation with, in every case, satisfactory results. At the same time, duplicate
samples were taken for chemical analysis, and these proved to be genuine. I understand
that the scheme has met with an encouraging reception.
The scheme follows the good results of controlled experiments in schools, which indicate
that children on milk are better in health, brighter in mind and grow faster than comparable
children having no milk. It has also been shown that milk, if acting only as an additional
nutriment, has an advantage over other experimental nutriment, and one would expect
that the general effect of the scheme will be improvement in the well.being of those on whose
behalf the scheme has been introduced.