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The services of the Council's Consultant Obstetrician are also available in cases of Puerperal Fever and
Puerperal Pyrexia when desired by the practitioner in attendance.
Provision of Anaesthetist.—The Council further accept responsibility for the payment of a fee to an
anaesthetist called in by a medical practitioner in connection with confinement cases. No such fees were paid in 1945.
Home Helps.—The Council provided the services of home helps in connection with 52 confinement cases in
1945. Difficulty was experienced in finding women willing to undertake this work and some mothers in need of
home helps were unable to obtain them.
Maternal Mortality Investigations.—The Council have continued to take part in the investigation of
deaths of mothers in childbirth for the Maternal Mortality Committee of the Ministry of Health. The investigations
are carried out by the Council's Consultant Obstetrician. 4 cases were inquired into during 1945.
Hospital Treatment of Children under 5 years of Age.
Treatment for children suffering from Marasmus and the operative treatment of enlarged tonsils and adenoids
continued to be available at the Willesden Municipal Hospital.
60 children were under treatment for Marasmus and 133 for enlarged tonsils and adenoids and mastoid
disease. 8 of the children suffering from Marasmus died. Children were admitted to hospital to a limited extent
for orthopaedic conditions.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.—The number of cases of this disease notified in 1945 was 4. This gives a case
rate of 1.5 per 1,000 registered live births.
A district midwife attended the confinement in 1 case, and 3 cases were born in hospital. Treatment was
obtained at a hospital in all 4 cases. Complete recovery with unimpaired vision occurred in 3 cases, In 1 case the
patient removed from the district and no further information was obtainable.
Cases of inflammation of discharge from the eyes of infants or of cases of ophthalmia neonatorum entering
Willesden after notification elsewhere are also visited by the Health Nurses.
Teaching of Mothercraft at the Centres.
This important part of the work of each Health Centre had to be suspended on the outbreak of war.
THE CARE OF PREMATURE INFANTS.
The Ministry of Health issued Circular 20/44 on March 22nd, 1944, dealing with the Care of Premature
Infants. 9
Arrangements have been made for obtaining knowledge of all children whose weight at birth is 5½lbs. or less.
140 such children were born in Willesden in 1945, 31 at home, and 109 in hospital. The services of a paediatrician
are available if necessary. Midwives and Health Visitors give particular attention to these babies, and the services
of home helps are provided if necessary and available. The proposals as to the provision of special staff and
accommodation in the case of institutional treatment will be borne in mind by the Council when development of the
Maternity Hospital is practicable. A paediatrician is attached to the Maternity Hospital. All discharges of such
infants from the Willesden Maternity Hospital and Central Middlesex County Hospital are notified forthwith to
the Health Department and followed up.
In 1945, out of a total of 129 deaths of children under 1 year of age who were Willesden residents, 27 were
due to premature birth. In 1944, out of a total of 114, 31 were due to premature birth, in 1943 out of a total of
155, 25 were due to premature birth, and in 1942, out of a total of 130, 33 were due to premature birth. Taking
only the deaths under 4 weeks of age in 1945, all 27 were due to premature birth; in 1914, 30 out of a total of 70
were due to premature birth; in 1943, 24 out of 61, and in 1942, 31 out of 61.
CHILD LIFE PROTECTION.
At the end of 1945 there were 30 Foster Mothers and 58 Foster Children in Willesden.
There has again been a great scarcity of Foster Mothers throughout the year. Women, even when not otherwise
occupied, are unwilling to undertake the care of children in these difficult times and, further, they desire to be
free whenever their husbands come home on leave.