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72
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Notification of Births.
1,622 notifications of live births were received during the
year (male 805, female 817).
302 notifications (including stillbirths) were received from
medical practitioners and parents, and 1,363 from midwives.
In addition, information was received of 246 births outside
this area. The following list shows where these births occurred
Oldchurch Hospital 140, East End Maternity Hospital 27, Plaistow
Maternity Hospital 19, Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford, 19,
Upney Hospital, Barking, 7, Charing Cross Hospital 5, Mothers
Hospital, Clapton, 5, Royal Free Hospital 3, Other institutions '21.
Stillbirths.
43 stillbirths were notified (21 male, 22 female), the corresponding
figures for registration being 26 and 30. The rate per
1,000 of total population registered was 0.59, the rate for England
and Wales being 0.66.
4
Out of 42 cases the infant was dead before the onset of labour
in 15. Of these, two were cases of developmental abnormality.
In four instances, the death of the infant followed accident or shock
to the mother. In three cases there was the history of the mother
having suffered from albuminuria; in one from persistent
vomiting ; ante-partum haemorrhage in one, and an attack of
influenza in the previous week in one case. In the remaining cases
there was no evidence of maceration and presumably the child
was alive up to the onset of labour. Difficult confinement at term
occurred in five cases. In one instance both, and in two other cases
one, of twin births occurring at the 7th month died. In five cases
a difficult confinement, mostly due to abnormal presentation,
occurred before full term. In four cases a normal confinement
occurred before term. In most of these cases there appeal to
be no reason for the onset of premature labour, the only history
obtained being that of an accident in two cases and an ante-pattum
haemorrhage in one. In 10 instances a stillbirth in which there
was no evidence of maceration was delivered after an apparently
normal labour taking place at term.
Infant Mortality.
115 infants under one year of age died during the year, giving
an infant mortality rate of 59.25.