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Of the nine cases notified, three were infants who, at the
time of notification, were in-patients of London hospitals. All
cases were mild in character and made complete recoveries.
Cases of ophthalmia neonatorum are investigated by the
Health Visitors on receipt of notification and are visited regularly
until the eyes are clear. A similar procedure is followed in respect
of those cases of which intimation is received from the County
Medical Officer that a midwife has summoned a practitioner by a
medical aid notice on account of some abnormality of the infant's
eyes.
Pemphigus.
In June the Council approved of application being made for
the approval of an Order under the Infectious Diseases (Notification)
Act, 1889, by which pemphigus of the new-born would become
notifiable in the district. The Order was confirmed by the
Minister of Health on the 31st July, being effective as from the
17th August.
MATERNAL MORTALITY.
There were nine deaths registered as due to or associated
with pregnancy, of which five were due to sepsis, giving a maternal
mortality rate from this cause of 1.92, and for other accidents and
diseases of pregnancy and parturition a rate of 1.54, being a total
rate of 3.46 per thousand live births. The corresponding rates
for England and Wales were 1.68, 2.42 and 4.10, and for this district
for the year 1934, 2.30, 3.69 and 5.99.
In addition there were two other deaths in which pregnancy
was a causal or a closely associated factor. The death certificate
of a married woman of 37 years of age read:— "Shock. Scalds of
vagina. Felonious injection of hot water to procure a miscarriage.
Felo de se." This is classified for statistical purposes as a suicide.
A woman of 37 years of age died on 1st February from:— 1 (a)
valvular disease of the heart, (b) rheumatic fever in youth; 2,
Childbirth, 5th December, 1934—the pregnancy and confinement
probably overtaxing the heart. This death is classified as due to
heart failure, but probably had she not become pregnant she would
have been alive to-day.
Of the five cases of sepsis only one had been notified as suffering
from puerperal fever. This patient, a married woman of 40, at
her fourth pregnancy went into labour at full term. After 8½
hours in labour a low forceps delivery was effected under light
chloroform anaesthesia. On the fifth day the temperature was
raised and the lochia became offensive. On the tenth day she was
removed to hospital and died 16 days later from haemolytic
streptococcal septicaemia.