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The number of deaths from maternal causes is small
compared with that from many other causes of death. Only
8% of the total deaths from all causes among women of child
bearing age are due to pregnancy and child birth. These
puerperal causes, however, are the second largest cause of
mortality of women between the ages of 25 and 35, and, surely,
if any such death be preventable it should be prevented.
Probably also there has been a tendency for too much public
attention to be directed to this mortality, and too little to the
care of motherhood and the preservation of health.
The recommendations of the Report are set out below,
together with comments as regards the service in Wembley.
They have been called by the Ministry of Health "the elements
of an efficient maternity scheme of a Local Authority."
1. The establishment, under the direction of the Medical
Officer of Health, of an adequate service of obstetric
consultants;
(a) to assist medical practitioners who undertake
domiciliary midwifery, in cases of doubt or difficulty in
the ante-natal period at the time of confinement and
during the puerperium:
Comment:
The Council's Scheme is that the consultant obstetrician
is available on request of a private practitioner in a case
of doubt or difficulty during the ante-natal period too ill
to attend a hospital, at confinement, or during the lying-in
period.
(b) to conduct consultative ante-natal and post-natal
clinics to which patients may be referred by general
practitioners, or from the routine ante-natal and postnatal
clinics:
Comment:
Cases seen at the routine ante-natal and gynaecological
clinics and requiring consultant advice are referred to
their private medical practitioners, or to a Hospital
appropriate for the individual case.
(c) to exercise clinical supervision over the in-patient
treatment of the maternity patients for whom the Local
Authority assumes responsibility:
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