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131
SECTION VIII.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Notification of Births Act, 1915.
This Act requires all births to be notified to the Medical
Officer of Health within 36 hours of their occurrence. The whole
system of health visiting rests on this Act.

As the total number of births and still births registered during
1936 was 3,693 (Live 3,557, Still 136), 192 births and 11 still
births were not notified in accordance with the provisions of the
Act.
Maternal Mortality.
There were 16 deaths directly due to pregnancy, as compared
with 10 in 1935, The maternal mortality rate was consequently
4.7 per 1,000 births compared with 2.9 per 1,000 in 1935. In other
words one mother died for every 211 babies born.
The deaths directly due to pregnancy were caused by puerperal
sepsis, 5 cases (1 of which followed abortion) ; eclampsia, 2 cases;
ruptured ectopic gestation, 1 case; placenta praevia, 3 cases; postpartum
haemorrhage, 1 case; pulmonary embolism, 3 cases;
obstetric shock accelerated by intercurrent disease, 1 case.
The Registrar General's figures for deaths directly due to pregnancy
were as follows:—
Total deaths allocated to Borough of Croydon, 12 ; maternal
mortality, 3.56 per 1,000 births; in the previous paragraph the
deaths are given as 16. This includes 4 deaths which the Registrar
General did not include as deaths directly clue to pregnancy, but
which in the light of local knowledge have been included in my
report. One case tabulated under Placenta Praevia had Caesarean
Section performed.