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 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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110
During 1935 a total of six maternal deaths were investigated
for the completion of inquiry forms. One of these (case No. 3)
was not classed by the Registrar-General to Pregnancy and
Child-bearing, but was returned as associated therewith.
Particulars relating to the six deaths are given in the accompanying
table. The first was an "unavoidable" death, two were
operative deaths—operations being indispensable in both cases
—two were post-abortive deaths and the other was a streptococcal
septicaemia apparently autogenous in origin.
Unemployment and/or malnutrition was only noted in one
case. This patient had declined the offer of assistance under
the assisted milk scheme.
The following table shows the maternal mortality rates for 1935 (calculated on five deaths) :—
| Births Registered. | Deaths of Women due to Pregnancy and Child- Bearing. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WALTHAMSTOW. | England and Wales. | ||||||||
| Puerperal Sepsis. | Other Puerperal Causes. | Total. | Rates per 1,000 Births Registered. | Rates per 1,000 Births Registered. | |||||
| Puerperal Sepsis. | Other Puerperal Causes. | Total. | Puerperal Sepsis. | Other Puerperal Causes. | Total. | ||||
| Live 1,670 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1.80 | 1.20 | 3.00 | 1.68 | 2.42 | 4.10 |
| Live and Stillbirths 1,727 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 1.73 | 1.16 | 2.89 | 1.61 | 2.32 | 3.93 |
The following table sets out the maternal mortality, stillbirth, and neo-natal death rates for the past five years. The normal expectation is that these three rates should show correlation
| Rate (per 1,000 live births) | 1935. | 1934. | 1933. | 1932. | 1931. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal Mortality | 3.00 | 6.40 | 5.39 | 4.47 | 0.51 |
| Stillbirths | 34.1 | 33.8 | 37.4 | 43.8 | 29.4 |
| Neo-Natal Deaths | 21.5 | 20.4 | 29.3 | 30.8 | 26.2 |