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
West Ham 1945
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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conducted, and it can be marked down as a remarkable achievement.
No mother or infant was lost as a result of enemy action.
As I have stated in my previous reports, the hospital
buildings suffered considerable damage from enemy action, and
during the year the work of repairing the extensive damage
has been going on.
The following table shows the admissions and confinements
at Forest Gate Hospital for a ten-year period—1935-1945.
Except for one of the war years—1941—it will be seen that the
work in the Maternity Unit has progressively increased.
When one realises that this has been done with much of the same ward accommodation originally provided at Forest Gate Hospital for the reception and treatment of maternity cases in the early 1920's, the present-day difficulties experienced in the adequate treatment of the patients can be readily understood.
| 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of Admissions | 728 | 861 | 1007 | 1205 | 1177 | 1011 | 740 | 1754 | 1659 | 1521 | 1843 |
| Number of Confinements | 640 | 779 | 907 | 1077 | 1051 | 917 | 647 | 1510 | 1500 | 1429 | 1659 |
I submit the following details of the work at Forest Gate
Hospital for the year 1945 as supplied to the Ministry of Health
on Form M.C.W.96A.
(1) Total number of admissions (including
infants born in Hospital) 3,456
(2) Number of women confined in the Hospital 1,659
(3) Number of live births 1,613
(41 Number of still births 46
(5) Number of deaths of babies under four
weeks born in the Hospital 20
(6) Number of deaths of women confined in the
Hospital 2
(7) Average number of days' residence of women
confined in the Hospital 10.81
(8) Number of premature births (those weighing
5½ lbs. at birth or less) 128
(9) Number of Puerperal Pyrexia cases 8
(10) Number of cases of Ophthalmia Neonatorum Nil
MATERNAL DEATHS. 2.
Case No. 1. "Toxaemia of Pregnancy" "Pulmonary
Oedema" "Cardiac Failure after Childbirth."
Case No. 2. "Eclampsia."
The cause of death was confirmed in each case by P.M.
examination.
40