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
Bromley 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bromley]
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34
SECTION C.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE
ANTE-NATAL CLINIC.
Ante-natal clinic sessions are held at the North Clinic,
Station Road as follows:—
Mondays at 2 p.m. (Doctor and two Midwives in attendance).
Mondays at 4.30 p.m. (two Midwives in attendance).
Thursdays at 2 p.m. (two Doctors and two Midwives in attendance).
The following tables give an indication of the activities of this Clinic during 1947:—
| No. of new cases (medically examined) | 404 |
| Total number of medical examinations | 772 |
| Total number of examinations by midwives | 305 |
| No. of examinations of blood samples (for Rhesus factor, Wassermann and Kahn and Haemoglobin) | 323 |
| No. of sessions (with Doctor and Midwives) | 102 |
| No. of sessions (Midwives only) | 50 |
An additional doctor attends at the Clinic on the Thursday
afternoon session for the purpose of taking specimens of blood
for examination. In addition to the normal Wassermann, Kahn
and Haemoglobin tests, an investigation into the Rhesus factor
is made in an endeavour to combat and reduce the prevalence
of infant mortality in babies under one week old.
Details of the results of the 323 specimens submitted for examination during the year are given in the following table:—
| Positive | Negative — no anti-Rh agglutinations present. | Negative - anti-Rh agglutinations present. | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 261 | 62 | — | 323 | ||||
| Positive | Negative | Total | |||||
| 2 | 321 | 323 | |||||
| 70% and below | 71%—80% | 81%—90% | 91%—100% | Total | |||
| 35 | 114 | 140 | 34 | 323 | |||
ADMINISTRATION OF THE MIDWIVES ACTS, 1902 1936.
The periodic inspection of midwives, their records and equipment
by Dr. G. H. Stinson, Assistant Medical Officer of Health,
who is the appointed Inspector of Midwives for the area, continued
throughout the year.
The number of midwives who gave notice of their intention
to practice within the area during the year was 37, six of whom
were Municipal Midwives and 31 Institutional. No notices were