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
Harrow 1942
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Harrow]
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37
few also carrying on a very limited domiciliary practice; and 8 were
resident in adjoining areas but attended some cases in this district.
The number of births attended in the district by midwives who
gave notice of their intention to practice was 1,541. In 988 cases the
midwife was in attendance as a midwife and in the remaining 553 as a
maternity nurse. Of the confinements occurring in private houses in the
district, 1,152 were attended by local midwives whose practice is limited
to domiciliary work (866 as midwives and 286 maternity nurses) and 36
by midwives from adjoining areas (28 as midwives and 8 as maternity
nurses).
At the end of the year there were in practice 5 independent midwives
carrying on a domiciliary service, these between them attending 69 cases
during the year.
During the year the following numbers of notifications were received:
| Sending for medical assistance | 327 |
| Still birth | 7 |
| Death of Infant | 10 |
| Death of Mother | — |
| Laying out the Dead | 1 |
| Artificial Feeding | 8 |
| Liability to be a Source of Infection | 33 |
Of the 327 summonses to medical practitioners, 43 were on account
of some condition during pregnancy, 61 during labour, 159 in the lying-in
period, and 56 some abnormality of the infant.
Of the 43 summonses to a patient during pregnancy 21 were because
of albuminuria, oedema, or toxaemia, and 12 because of haemorrhage.
Of the 69 summonses to a patient during labour the reason given
in 43 instances was delayed labour with cause unspecified. In a further
9 there was some abnormal presentation. Eight summonses were to
patients suffering from abortion (actual or threatened).
122 of the 159 summonses to patients in the puerperium were on
account of rupture of the perineum. Post-partum haemorrhage, with or
without adherence of the placenta was the reason in 11, a raised temperature
in 14, phlebitis 7, and inflamed breast 2.
Of the 56 summonses to infants, 19 were on account of some discharge
from the eye, 19 because of feebleness or asphyxia and 18 some other
abnormal state or condition.
327 out of 988 midwifery cases attended is a percentage rate of 33-1;
the corresponding figure in 1941 was 35.5.
MIDWIFERY SERVICES.
The number of patients attended by Council's midwives was 850 in
which they acted as midwives and 232 in which they acted as maternity
nurses, a total of 1,082.