London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Walthamstow 1944

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]

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The following table shows the work done by Midwives (including those employed at Thorpe Coombe fraternity Hospital) during 1944:-

No.of confinements attended as a Midwife1343
" " " Maternity Nurse226
" " Medical Aid notices sent400
" " notifications of deaths4
" " twin births notified29
" " stillbirths notified10
" " notifications of liability to be a source of infection5
" laying out of a dead body1
" artificial feeding5
" " " " disinfection5

The above table includes the following numbers with regard to work done at Thorpe Coombe:

Midwifery cases795
Maternity cases112
Medical Aid Notices261

The percentages of Medical Aid Notices vtere:-
Total, 25.4.
Maternity Hospital, 28.8.
Domiciliary Midwives, 21.1,
The conditions for which Medical Aid was summoned by Midwives in
domiciliary practice have been summarised and were as follows: -

For complications during pregnancy:-

Albuminuria1
Threatened abortion1
Other conditions5
7

For complications during labour:-
Delayed 1st and 2nd stage 18
Perineal laceration 65
Pyrexia 5
Post-partum haemorrhage 1
Ante-par turn haemorrhage 1
Malpresentation 5
Retained placenta 4
Other conditions10
Tota 1 109
For complications in regard to the infant: -
Prematurity & feebleness 6
Discharging eyes 1
Other conditions16,
Total 23
COMPENSATION FOR LOSS OF CASES.- Compensation is made to Midwives
by the payment of 10/- per confinement lost by reason of the reference
of the patient from the Council's Ante-Natal Clinic to hospital on
account of any abnormality. No claim for compensation was made during
1944.

MUNICIPAL MIDWIFERY AND MATERNITY SERVICE.- The table below shows the number of visits done:-

Ante-Natal VisitsClinicDelive riesLying-in VisitsTotal visits
Patients' HomesMidwife's HouseMid.Mat.
2,1672,826340422479,28215,084

PUBLIC HEALTH ACT, 1936 (Nursing Homes).- See Public Health Section
of the report.
52.