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and in due course she was able to place her baby in a Day
Nursery when she resumed work.
PREMATURE INFANTS. All infants weighing 5½ lbs.
or under at birth are now considered premature, requiring
special care in the 14 days' statutory attendance of the midwife
and special supervision by the Health Visitor in the neo-natal
period and for several months thereafter. Three hundred and
sixty-three premature births in the Borough were notified in
1947, of which number 129 were born at home and 234 in
maternity hospitals. Although the baby with its mother can
be admitted for special care to a maternity hospital, it was not
necessary to use this facility in respect of the 129 premature
infants born at home, of whom 115 were alive and satisfactory
four weeks after birth; of the remainder, 6 being so premature
that they died within the first 24 hours and 8 died at varying
periods during the first month. Fifteen infants of the 234 born
in hospital died within 24 hours and 195 survived the first
month.
MATERNAL DEATHS. Ten West Ham patients died in
or in consequence of pregnancy during the year. Of these, 5
died within the Borough and 5 elsewhere. Four of the deaths
were due to abortion, and, if these are excluded, the mortality
for childbirth becomes 1.28 per 1,000 total births.
West Ham maternity hospitals take a number of cases from
outside the Borough; in consequence there were 8 maternal
deaths which took place in West Ham, some being of patients
resident elsewhere. Two of these deaths took place at home
and 6 in maternity hospitals. All maternal deaths were investigated,
and notified causes of deaths were as follows:—
Eclampsia 3
Ante-partum haemorrhage 2
Breech presentation due to fibroid tissue,
collapse after Caesarian Section operation 1
Air embolism due to abortion, self-induced 1
Pulmonary embolism 1
OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM. Only 4 cases were
notified during the year, of whom one was removed to hospital
for special care. Vision was unimpaired in all cases as a result
of treatment.
PUERPERAL PYREXIA. Fifty-four notifications were
received in respect of this disease, of which number 16 were
domiciliary and 38 institutional confinements. All patients
recovered completely. There were no notifications of pemphigus
neonatorum or of puerperal fever.
CHILD LIFE PROTECTION AND ADOPTION OF
CHILDREN. The Health Visitors undertook all supervising
visits in respect of foster children under Sections 206-220 of the
Public Health Act, 1936. These children were visited at least
every 2 months, but prior to the reception of a child a full
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