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Wembley, therefore, the Ministry of Health would prefer the
County Council making any necessary provision.
that the County Council approves in principle of
the provision, as a public health measure, of such maternity
hospital accommodation at the County General Hospitals as
may be necessary adequately to meet the legitimate needs of
the County.
POST-NATAL SERVICES.
Post-natal Examinations.
108 women attended the clinics for post-natal examination,
making altogether 148 attendances.
A further three were examined under the General Practitioners'
Scheme.
As yet no separate session has been held for post-natal cases,
the women attending the ordinary sessions of the ante-natal clinics.
Puerperal Infection.
(a) Consultant services: Arrangements are in operation by
which local medical practitioners can obtain the services of the
consultant in cases of puerperal infection.
During the year the consultant was summoned on two occasions:
the first patient was immediately removed to hospital,
but the second case was treated at home by intra-uterine
glycerine.
(b) Hospital services: Any cases of puerperal infection
requiring hospital treatment are removed, either to the London
County Council North-Western Hospital or to the isolation block
of Queen Charlotte's Hospital.
The single case notified as puerperal fever was removed to
hospital, but died. Of 18 cases notified as puerperal pyrexia
amongst the women confined in this district, four were removed to
hospital: all made complete recoveries.
BIRTH CONTROL CLINIC.
In March the Council approved of the establishing of a Birth
Control Clinic for those women normally attending existing
maternity and child welfare centres and needing advice on birth
control on medical grounds. The clinic was opened in June, the
Medical Officer attending monthly to start with and the nurse
attending fortnightly. Since the end of the year, however, the
Medical Officer has attended fortnightly. A number of women
were not dealt with owing to there being no medical grounds
justifying the giving of the advice, but 62 were advised for such
reasons as the presence of severe heart disease, tuberculosis, toxic
goitre, kidney disease and, in one case, a history of puerperal
insanity.