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26
Midwives.
There are no midwives in the district employed by
the Local Authority. At the end of the year there
were 29 midwives whose practices lay within the
Urban District.
The Midwives Act, 1936 provides that Local
Supervising Authorities shall either themselves employ
midwives or satisfy themselves that the services of
whole-time salaried midwives are available for all
confinements.
The Council having been made a Local Supervising
Authority, as from 1st April, 1937, has submitted
proposals to the Minister included in which are details
of arrangements for this Council to employ 10 midwives,
and to enter into arrangements with the Dagenham
District Nursing Association and the Salvation Army
for the services of 10 further midwives.
Laboratory Facilities.
Examination of clinical material is undertaken at
the Counties Public Health Laboratories, Queen
Victoria Street, London. During the year, 572 swabs
were examined for the diphtheria bacillus, 567 samples
of sputum for the bacillus of tuberculosis, 19 samples
of hair for the fungus of ringworm, examination for
agglutination of blood against typhoid and allied
organisms on three occasions, and in addition, 56
specimens were submitted for examinations of a
miscellaneous character.
The same laboratory also undertakes the bacteriological
examination of milk and ice-cream, of which
123 samples of the former and 19 of the latter were
submitted during the year.
810 swabs were examined for the diphtheria bacillus
at the Public Health Offices.