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57
Medical Aid.—Medical aid was sought in 2 instances where the infant
was found to have inflamed or discharging eyes. In both cases the condition
of the eyes cleared satisfactorily.
Domiciliary Midwifery Service.—At the end of the year there were
13 Domiciliary Midwives employed wholetime and 2 part-time midwives,
in addition to the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent.
During the year 726 cases were attended. In 565 cases the midwives
were engaged to attend as midwives and in 161 as maternity nurses. The
patients resided in the following wards: —
Barkingside 49; North Hainault 51; Cranbrook 53; Park 51; Seven
Kings 70; South Hainault 76; Loxford 77; Clementswood 65;
Goodmayes 13; Fairlop 90; Clayhall 60; Mayfield 71.
5,190 ante-natal visits were made during the year.
A Doctor was called in to 165 of the 565 cases in which a midwife
had been engaged.
Of the infants born there were 15 stillbirths ascribed to the following
causes:—
Abnormal presentation 1
Ante-partum haemorrhage at 5th month and toxaemia of
pregnancy 1
Cord presentation—asphyxia 1
Hydramnios 1
Thin umbilical cord—severed during labour 1
Umbilical cord round body 2
Umbilical cord round neck3
Unknown 5
In 1 of the cases the midwife was engaged as a maternity nurse only.
There were 6 deaths of infants during the first year of life from the
following causes: -
Acute oedema of lungs, meningocele (congenital) 1
Acute suppurative pneumonia 1
Broncho-pneumonia 1
Cerebral haemorrhage, thrombo-cytopaenic purpura 1
Congenital heart disease 1
Heart failure—congenital heart disease 1
In 2 of these cases the midwife was engaged as a maternity nurse only.
Notices were received from the Domiciliary Midwives stating that
artificial feeding had been substituted in respect of 21 infants attended by
them during 1949.
Salvation Army Midwifery Service.—63 cases were attended by the
Salvation Army Midwives during the year, 58 as a midwife and 5 as a
maternity nurse.
A Doctor was called in to 27 of the 58 cases in which a midwife
had been engaged.