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
Ealing 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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20
Maternal Mortality.—Unfortunately, it is not possible to
point to any improvement in the maternal mortality rate as in
the infant death-rate.
The maternal death-rate for Ealing compares favourably with
the rate for England and Wales as will be seen in the following table,
but there is no tendency for maternal mortality to decline.
| Period | Ealing | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| 1911—1915 | 3.03 | 4.03 |
| 1916—1920 | 2.70 | 4.12 |
| 1921—1925 | 4.01 | 3.90 |
| 1926—1930 | 3.31 | 4.27 |
| 1931 | 3.85 | 3.95 |
| 1932 | 3.89 | 4.06 |
| 1933 | 2.91 | 4.23 |
| 1934 | 4.32 | 4.41 |
An examination of the mortality among cases dealt with in
the Chiswick and Ealing Maternity Hospital shows that while the
maternal death-rate for the Borough of Ealing over the period
1921—1934 was 3.7 per thousand births, the maternal death-rate
among the cases dealt with in the Maternity Hospital, since it
was opened in 1921, was only 2.6 per thousand births. The cases
dealt with at the hospital are almost all booked cases, which receive
continuous ante-natal supervision at the Health Centres. The
lower death-rate over a period of years is undoubtedly the result
of this ante-natal care combined with the facilities available at
the hospital at the time of the confinement.
Still-Births.—The number of still-births assigned to the
district was 79, which gives a rate of 38 per thousand of all births.
The incidence of still-births for the past year is less than in either
of the two previous years when the rate was 47 and 40 per thousand
births respectively.