London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Tottenham 1938

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham]

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29
Patients admitted to Hospital:—
(а) During pregnancy 6
(b) During labour 1
(c) During puerperium 1
Ante-natal Clinics:—
Attendances 404
Post-natal Clinics:—
Each patient is seen at the end of the sixth week by the Obstetric
and Gynaecological Registrar, Mr. R. W. Nichol, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.,
M.C. O.G., who is in charge of the ante-natal clinics.
Duties of Municipal Midwives.
One effect of the Midwives Act, 1936, has been to enrol large numbers
of midwives in the Public Health services and to ensure, for the first time,
a maximum of co-operation between them and local authorities. The
midwife is now in close touch with her patient at every stage of pregnancy,
labour and the puerperium. She attends at the ante-natal and post-natal
examinations of her patients and has, also, free access to the Medical
Officers' records relating to them. This tends to build up in the mind of
the patient a high degree of confidertce in the midwife who will attend her
and she approaches her confinement with an equanimity and freedom
from anxiety which is recognised, in itself, to be a safety factor of no little
importance. For this reason, also, each midwife has a partner, also a
municipal midwife, who is jointly responsible with her for their combined
districts should one of them be off duty or engaged elsewhere.