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
Barking 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barking]
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crowded state of the district generally, and the undesirable conditions
under which in many cases confinements take place that
more advantage is not taken of the facilities in this respect placed
at the district's disposal. It has to be remembered, however, in
drawing comparisons, that as present situated the Maternity
Ward cannot cater for cases other than what would generally be
considered "straight-forward," little local facilities existing for
dealing efficiently with more than minor deviations from the normal.
The following return required by the Ministry of Health for the year ended 31st December, 1925 is included as under, the comparative freedom from the more usual complications of childbirth and necessity for the intervention of outside aid being partly explainable from the preceding context.
| (1) Number of cases admitted (39 of which Ante-natal.) | 206 |
| (2) Average duration of stay | 14.5 days |
| (3) Number of cases delivered by:— | |
| (a) Midwives | 166 |
| (b) Doctors | 1 |
(4) Number of cases in which medical assistance was sought by the midwife with reason for requiring assistance:—
| (a) Ante-natal | Nil |
| (b) During Labour | 1 |
| (c) After Labour | 10 |
| (d) For Infant | 6 |
(5) Number of cases notified as puerperal sepsis with result
of treatment in each case—Nil.
(6) Number of cases in which temperature rose above 100.A
for 24 hours with rise of pulse rate.—Nil.
(7) Number of cases of pemphigus neonatorum.—One.
(8) Number of cases notified as ophthalmia neonatorum with
result of treatment in each case.—One (recovered).
(9) Number of cases of " inflammation of the eyes," however
slight.—One.