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Most of the outside births occurred in the Central Middle sex
Hospital, with 286 live and 15 still births; the next in popularity
or more correctly, availability was Queen Charlotte's Hospital, with
52 confinements.
The question of institutional confinements has been discussed
in previous annual reports and the popularity of maternity hospitals
and nursing homes is still evident. The effect of the domiciliary
service under the Midwives Act is not yet apparent as the scheme
did not come into operation until 1st October 1937. One of the
objects of the Act is to popularise home confinements and make them
safer, and it remains to be seen whether its operation will counteract
the increasing popularity of institutional confinements. One surpriseing
item in the figures is the fact that relatively domiciliary
midwifery is more popular in the South West Ward than in the
others.
DEATHS.
The method by which the inward and outward transfer are
arranged have been explained in former Annual Reports, and it was
stated that last year for the first time a discrepancy had occurred
between the total number of deaths as supplied by the Register
General at the end of the year and quarterly returns.
I then mentioned a possible cause of the discrepancy: the
registration and the municipal areas do not correspond. Although
over three years have elapsed since the re-arrangement of the
boundaries between Acton & Brentford and Chiswick was completed
the old registration areas still obtain.