View report page

172
OBSTETRIC CONSULTATIONS.
As Consulting Obstetrician to the Borough, the Assistant
Medical Officer of Health for Obstetrics was called in by medical
practitioners to see 12 patients who could not afford to pay a private
consultant.
The cases were as follows: Pueperal pyelitis, persistent
vomiting of pregnancy, disproportion (2), puerperal septicaemia,
prolonged labour, puerperal sepsis, puerperal pyelitis, obstructed
labour due to ovarian cyst, pre-eclampsia, puerperal sepsis and
fibroid, puerperal parametritis, and cerebral haemorrhage (baby)
after forceps delivery.
In addition, he was asked by the Medical Superintendent of
Mayday Hospital to give an opinion on the obstetric and gynaecological
aspects of 19 cases in the medical and surgical wards of the
hospital.
The preceding pages deal with the maternity service in the
clinical control of the Assistant M.O.H. for Obstetrics. In the
following paragraphs some aspects of the general maternity work
of the borough are reviewed.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE CONSULTATIONS.
There are 17 Maternity and Child Welfare Centres, 16 of
which are conducted by the Croydon Mothers' and Infants'
Welfare Association, and 1 by the Local Authority. A total of
21 sessions per week are held and at all of these a doctor and a
nurse on the staff of the Health Department attend. A new
Clinic was opened at Selhurst during the year, whilst the Moffat
Road Centre was closed down owing to the small number attending.
During 1937, 2,446 new cases under 1 year of age, and 91?
over a year of age attended for the first time; this is an increase
of 212 in the first class and of 140 in the second class. The total
attendances of infants and young children from 0—5 years increased
from 76,109 in 1936 to 79,851 in 1937. Consultations with
doctors decreased in numbers from 23,733 to 23,024. 101 expectant
mothers were seen, a decrease of 130 on 1936, and a total of 688
visits to the Centres were paid by them. The total of all visits to
the Centres was 80,629, an increase of 3,390 compared with 1936.
The highest average attendance of mothers and babies at
each session was recorded at Municipal (101.6), St. Andrews
(96.5), South Croydon (92.6), and Waddon (90.5).