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An ambulance is available for the transfer of women in
labour to the maternity hospitals, for which no charge is made to
the patient. During 1937 the ambulance was used for this purpose
in 207 cases.
Maternal mortality.
The statistics of maternal mortality for the year 1937 and
previous years are given on page 93.
In 1928 the Maternal Mortality Committee of the Ministry
of Health issued a form of enquiry to be completed in respect of
every maternal death. As a result of the enquiries into the
maternal deaths for the year 1937, it was found that, of the nine
deaths in, or in consequence of, childbirth, seven took place in
institutions and two at home. Six of the patients who died in
hospital were admitted as emergency cases, the remaining patient
having been under treatment in hospital.
Table IX. gives details of the conditions which caused
death.

Details of the maternal deaths. The following brief summary
will give some indication of the conditions which were present
in the fatal cases, and of the degree to which death might have
been prevented:—
(1) Age, 32 years. Married. General health satisfactory, poor
home circumstances. Had not had supervision during pregnancy.
Labour—premature (28 weeks) at home. Patient died suddenly on
the 7th day. Cause of death—pulmonary embolism.
(2) Age 40 years. Married. General health good, home circumstances
fairly good, but patient worked daily in charge of a
vegetable stall. Was under hospital clinic during pregnancy for
treatment for chronic nephritis complicating pregnancy. She
suffered from albuminuria, with excessively high blood pressure,
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