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 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barking]
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29
(a) Ante-Natal Supervision.—Ante-Natal Clinics are held at three centres—two
sessions weekly at the Central Clinic, and one session weekly at the Alexandra and
the Shaftesbury Clinics.
The following table shows the work carried out at these clinics during the year :—
| Central Clinic. | Alexandra Clinic. | Shaftesbury Clinic. | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Sessions. | First Attendances. | Re-Attendances. | Total Attendances. | No. of Sessions. | First Attendances. | Re-Attendances. | Total Attendances. | No. of Sessions. | First Attendances. | Re-Attendances. | Total Attendances. |
| 102 | 425 | 1323 | 2248 | 51 | 99 | 657 | 756 | 51 | 197 | 721 | 918 |
Total rirst Attendances 721
„ Re-Attendances 3,201
,, Attendances 3,922*
,, Sessions 204
* In addition there were 12 Post-Natal Attendances.
A large number of the expectant mothers who attend your Ante-Natal Clinics
are those who desire to be confined in Upney Hospital or those who have made
arrangements for their forthcoming confinement with the Plaistow Maternity
Hospital and District Nurses' Home. Certain cases who have engaged private
midwives are also seen at your Ante-Natal Clinics. I hope that the midwives
practising privately in Barking will more and more avail themselves of the facilities
that are available in this direction.
It is satisfying to note that a large proportion of the women who avail
themselves of the services at your Ante-Natal Clinics are women approaching their
first pregnancy, and attend regularly. The Ante-Natal Services carried out are
based upon the suggestions which have been issued by the Ministry of Health, and
the members of your staff who are engaged in this work consult Mr. Alan Brews
at the Consultant Ante-Natal Clinic held monthly at the Alexandra Clinic, so that
they may have the helpful advice of his large fund of information on this subject,
in which he has specialised. The whole of the work is carried out in a spirit
calculated to impress pregnant women, especially those pregnant for the first time,
that pregnancy is a normal and ordinary event and that provided due care and
attention is given it may be approached without fear.
Details of the milk and meals supplied to expectant mothers are given on pages
37-39.
(b) Still-births.—During the year 1934, there were no less than 56 still-births ;
that number is too high. Only in approximately one-fifth of the eases was any cause
discovered which could be looked upon as reasonably covering the whole of the
facts. In no less than 39 cases the cause of the still-birth was definitely stated
to be unknown. Our chief difficulty, in my opinion, is that the controlling factors
are so private and personal that the particulars we get are too scanty to give data
on which to base any sound judgment. This matter is receiving our serious
consideration and I hope to be able to report further next year.