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 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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5
Hospital Confinements.—During 1946, 1,187 women were confined in the Willesden Maternity Hospital.
451 births of Willesden residents were notified from outside Institutions—73 from St. Mary's Hospital, 58 from Queen
Charlotte's Hospital, 25 from Middlesex Hospital, 22 from University College Hospital, 26 from Queen Mary's
Maternity Home, and smaller numbers from other hospitals, 115 from a Nursing Home, and smaller numbers from
other Nursing and Maternity Homes. These, together with some 711 in the Central Middlesex County Hospital,
are approximately 69 per cent. of the births belonging to Willesden.
It is to be noted that in 1946 many mothers desiring institutional confinement were unable to obtain beds.
642 applicants for the Willesden Maternity Hospital alone had to be refused.
The following table shows the domiciliary and institutional confinements :—
Table No. 6.
| Years. | Domiciliary Births attended by Midwives. | Domiciliary Births attended by Doctors. | Births in Hospitals and Nursing Homes. | Total Births notified. (Note—-Notified not registered.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | 515 | 1,174 | 1,110 | 2,799 |
| 1932 | 457 | 997 | 1,220 | 2,674 |
| 1933 | 532 | 776 | 1,357 | 2,665 |
| 1934 | 610 | 680 | 1,436 | 2,726 |
| 1935 | 589 | 568 | 1,706 | 2,863 |
| 1936 | 646 | 516 | 1,745 | 2,907 |
| 1937 | 760 | 465 | 1,906 | 3,131 |
| 1938 | 710 | 394 | 1,974 | 3,078 |
| 1939 | 703 | 257 | 1,789 | 2,749 |
| 1940 | 521 | 129 | 1,640 | 2,290 |
| 1941 | 340 | 112 | 1,317 | 1,769 |
| 1942 | 663 | 163 | 1,788 | 2,614 |
| 1943 | 634 | 189 | 1,871 | 2,694 |
| 1944 | 653 | 166 | 1,905 | 2,724 |
| 1945 | 524 | 130 | 2,010 | 2,664 |
| 1946 | 878 | 183 | 2,349 | 3,410 |
The report on the Willesden Maternity Hospital by Mr. Arnold Walker, F.R.C.S., the Council's Consultant
Obstetrician, appears later in this report.
Ante-Natal Work for Institutions not under the Council.—Requests are received from the Middlesex
County Council and from various London Hospitals for home visits to expectant mothers, and for special reports
by the Council's Health Visitors in connection with women who are to be confined in these hospitals. 815 such
requests were received in 1946.
678 Expectant Mothers booked for confinement in the Central Middlesex County Hospital were referred to
the Willesden Health Centres for Ante-Natal care in 1946.
Puerperal Pyrexia.—80 cases were notified in 1946.
Maternal Mortality.—During 1946 there were 6 deaths classed to pregnancy and child-bearing—there
were no cases of post-abortive infection.
The puerperal mortality rate was 1*70 per 1,000 registered total births.
During 1946 there were no maternal deaths from non-puerperal causes.
The total maternal mortality from all causes, including criminal abortion, was therefore 1.70 per 1,000 registered
total births.
• #
Sterilised Accouchement Sets.—These sets are supplied in accordance with the arrangements stated in my
Annual Report for 1930, p. 10.
During 1946, 208 were supplied free, 355 at full cost and 533 at part cost—a total of 1,096.
Specialist Help.—The Council accept responsibility for the payment of the fee of one of their specialists called
in by a medical practitioner to assist him in connection with a difficult case of labour. One such consultation was
paid for in 1946.