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Care of Mothers and Young Children.
Ante-Natal and Post-Natal Services.
The following table summarises the attendances of the Antenatal
Clinic, 118, Hermon Hill, Wanstead:—
Ante-Natal Post-natal Gynaecological Birth Control
651 Nil Nil 312
Ante-natal clinics are now conducted by the midwives and a
medical officer no longer attends. Persons visiting the clinic fall
into three categories.
(a) Those booked for hospital confinement and who are receiving
intermediate supervision. These attend the hospital
at the beginning and end of their pregnancies.
(b) Those who have engaged a doctor for home confinement.
(c) Those to be confined at home by the domiciliary midwife.
As all three midwives work in very close liaison with the gen-
eral practitioners in the Borough and can always call upon their
services should the smallest abnormality become manifest, it was
felt that the attendance of another medical officer at the clinic was
not warranted. The present arrangement is working to the satisfaction
of all concerned and attendance at these clinics has increased.
Birth Control Clinics.
At these clinics contraceptive advice is given for medical or
socio-medical reasons. During the year attendances increased by
over 50% and additional sessions were arranged. A medical officer
with special experience in gynaecology advises.
Vital Statistics
These are given in Section A of this report. The birth rate of
12.9 is below that for England and Wales. The infant mortality rate
was 25.2, as against 26.8 for England and Wales, and the non-natal
mortality rate was 15.2 per 1,000 live births.
The deaths of infants under one year were:—
Males Females Total Rate Per 1,000 Live Birth
Legitimate 11 8 19 23.94
Illegitimate — 1 1 1.26
11 Stillbirths were notified, giving a stillbirth rate of 13.7 per 1,000
total births and 0.18 per 1,000 population.
Care of Premature Infants
During 1953, 51 premature infants were born to residents of the
Borough, 8 of these births taking place at home and 43 in hospital or
nursing home. Of those born at home 6 were alive at the end of
one month; 39 of the 43 born in hospital or private nursing home
survived.
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