View report page

Live Births.
Legitimate 773.
Illegitimate 24.
Infant Deaths.
Legitimate 51.
Illegitimate 2.
Maternal Morbidity and Mortality.
The Council has an informal agreement with the London County Council
for the admission of cases of puerperal pyrexia and puerperal fever to the North
Western Hospital, Hampstead. Alternatively, patients can usually be admitted
to Queen Charlotte's Hospital (isolation block), Shepherd's Bush.
During the year six cases of puerperal pyrexia and three cases of puerperal
fever were notified. Two of these were admitted to Queen Charlotte's Hospital
and two to Hillingdon County Hospital, Hillingdon, while five cases occurred
in Hillingdon County Hospital.
There were six maternal deaths during the year in connection with
childbirth, as follows:—
1. Kidney disease (pyelonephritis).
2. Sepsis (thrombophlebitis and embolus).
3. Heart failure, Caesarian section. Toxaemia.
4. Eclampsia.
5. Sepsis. Abortion.
6. Haemorrhage (Placenta praevia).
All six deaths occurred in hospital; five in Hillingdon and one in the
Southall-Norwood Hospital.
These six deaths make a high rate for the district for 1936, but as
has been pointed out previously, in a small district such as this it is misleading
and unwise to place too much importance on the rate year by year. Both the
Council and the Department are fully alive to the great importance of lessening
maternal morbidity and mortality and active measures are taken whenever
the opportunity occurs.
All cases of puerperal pyrexia and of puerperal fever notified in the
district are investigated by the Health Department. In the case of a death,
the confidential information so obtained is communicated to the Ministry of
Health for their collation with similar information obtained from other areas.
It is hoped that in this way further light will be thrown on the national problems
of maternal morbidity and mortality, thus helping their solution.
18