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
Willesden 1944
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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Table No. 21.
Sources of Specimens Examined.
| Municipal Hospital | 1,200 |
| Private Practitioners | 588 |
| Health Centres | 466 |
| Middlesex County Council Dispensary | 100 |
| Engineer's Department | 96 |
| 2,450 |
THE FOURTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT
on the
WILLESDEN MATERNITY HOSPITAL
for the Year 1944.
By ARNOLD WALKER, M.A., M.B., B.Ch., F.R.C.S., F.R.C.O.G.
The most important feature of the year 1944 was the disorganization caused by flying-bomb and rocket attacks.
A number of cases booked for confinement in the hospital failed to present themselves, and a number of cases booked
for confinement in the Central Middlesex County Hospital were admitted during a period when the maternity
department of that hospital was transferred to a safer area. The Willesden Maternity Hospital suffered no damage
from this form of enemy activity.
1 patient died during the year from pulmonary embolism after a difficult labour.
Table No. 22.
Statistical Details of the 1,014 Cases dealt with during 1944.
| Cases completed | 1,014 | Eclampsia | 1 | ||
| A. Booked at the Health Centres | 1,005 | Organic Heart Disease | 9 | ||
| Discharged well | 999 | Puerperal Pyrexia | 29 | ||
| Transferred | 1 | Uterine Infection | 9 | ||
| Delivered elsewhere | 3 | Urinary Infection | 9 | ||
| Died | 1 | Breast Infection | 3 | ||
| Not pregnant | 1 | Thrombo-phlebitis | 1 | ||
| B. Admitted as Emergencies | 9 | Pulmonary Infection | 2 | ||
| Discharged well | 9 | No cause found | 5 | ||
| Of the 1,005 booked cases, 502 were primiparae and 503 were multiparae. Of the 9 emergency cases, 3 were primiparae and 6 were multiparae. | Operations performed— | ||||
| Forceps delivery | 32 | ||||
| The forceps rate was therefore 3.15 per cent. | |||||
| Presentations Caesarean Section— | 11 | ||||
| Occipito Anterior | 819 | Previous Caesarean Section | 5 | ||
| Occipito Posterior | 129 | Elderly primigravida, breech presentation | 1 | ||
| Normal Breech | 22 | ||||
| Abnormal Breech | 4 | Elderly primigravida, mental condition | 1 | ||
| Twins | 15 | ||||
| Triplets | 1 | Impacted brow presentation | 1 | ||
| Face | 3 | Persistent oblique lie | 1 | ||
| Brow | 1 | Placenta Praevia | 1 | ||
| Shoulder | 1 | Rigid cervix | 1 | ||
| Miscarriages | 14 | Manual Removal of Placenta | 12 | ||
| Hydatidiform Mole | 1 | Induction of Premature Labour | 4 | ||
| Ante-partum Haemorrhage— | Toxaemia of Pregnancy | 3 | |||
| Placenta Praevia | 4 | Vomiting | 1 | ||
| Accidental Haemorrhage | 12 | Transfusion | 12 | ||
| Prolapse of Cord | 2 | Blood.. | 6 | ||
| Toxaemia of Pregnancy admitted for treatment | 21 | Serum or Plasma | 3 | ||
| Blood and Serum or Plasma | 3 | ||||
| 1,012 viable children were born to 995 mothers. Of these, 38 were stillborn and 19 died. | |||||