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
Walthamstow 1932
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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109
12. MIDWIVES ACTS, 1902—1926.
Early in 1932 your Committee decided that no recovery of fees
was to be made in respect of Pemphigus Neonatorum.
Dr. Sheppard has acted as Inspector of Midwives and has
carried out the routine quarterly inspections, the results of which
have been generally satisfactory. Additional inspections in respect
of emergencies such as Ophthalmia Neonatorum, Puerperal Fever
and Pyrexia and Maternal Mortality, have been made by your
Medical Officer of Health.
There were 18 midwives in active practice on the 31st December,
1932.
The following table shows the work done by the midwives during 1932:—
| No. of confinements attended as a midwife | 590 |
| ,, confinements attended as a maternity nurse | 159 |
| ,, Medical Aid Notices sent | 112 |
| ,, Notifications of Deaths | 6 |
| ,, Twin Births | 9 |
| ,, Stillbirths | 9 |
| ,, Notifications of liability to be a source of infection | 6 |
| ;, Notifications of laying out a dead body | 3 |
| ,, Notifications of Artificial Feeding | 5 |
During 1931, 648 cases were attended as Midwives and 136 as
Maternity Nurses.
The conditions for which Medical Aid was summoned by Mid-wives has been summarised and were as follows:—
| Pregnancy:— | Labour:— | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Excessive Sickness | 1 | Malpresentation | 8 |
| Congested Labia | 1 | Adherent Placenta | 5 |
| Threatened Miscarriage | 1 | Prolonged or Difficult | |
| Miscarriage | 3 | Labour | 21 |
| Small Measurements | 1 | Post-partum Haemor rhage | |
| Ante-partum Haemorrhage | 4 | 5 | |
| Threatened Eclampsia | 1 | Ruptured Perineum | 19 |
| Fainting and Debility | 1 | ||
| Total | 58 | ||
| Total | 13 |