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
Merton and Morden 1947
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton & Morden]
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| Sex. | Age. | Cause of Death. |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 1 month | Lobar Pneumonia Marasmus. |
| Male | 1 week | Broncho Pneumonia. |
| Male | 2 hours | Congenital Heart Disease. |
| Male | 5 months | Asphyxia. |
| Male | 2 days | Icterus Gravis Neonatorum. |
| Male | 1 day | Congenital Heart Lesion. |
| Male | 2 hours | Maternal Hydramnios Premature birth. |
| Female | 2 days | Congenital patent auricular septum of heart. |
| Female | 4 days | Icterus Gravis Neonatorum. |
| Female | 10 minutes | Intracranial Hæmorrhage Birth Injury. |
| Female | 2 weeks | Pneumonia. Amyotonia congenita. |
| Male | 20 minutes | Hydrops foetalis. |
| Male | 2 months | Whooping Cough. |
| Female | 8 hours | Foetal Atelectasis. |
| Male | 12 hours | Ac. Pulm Oedema Prematurity. |
| Male | 6 days | Intestinal obstruction Herniation small bowel through con genital defect in mesentery Inhalation Pneumonia. |
| Female | 7 months | Pneumococcal Meningitis Brain abscess. |
| Male | 3 hours | Erythroblastosis Foetalis. |
| Male | 2 days | Syncope Prematurity |
PREMATURE BABIES.
The problem of prematurity will remain with us until we
understand more clearly the mechanism which initiates labour
and can prevent the onset before full term by removing the
factors responsible. We can take comfort from the fact—to which
attention is drawn in another part of this report—that there is an
evergrowing tendency towards institutional births and that consequently
an increasing proportion of these babies will be born in
hospital and so avoid the problem of maintaining satisfactory
conditions for them during removal to hospital. Because of the
dangers of chill during transport, it would seem that our aim
should be to see that any mother who goes into labour before
term should be removed to hospital immediately so that the
problem of subsequent transport does not arise.
In this respect, as in so many others, we are fortunate in
Merton and Morden to have such a well appointed hospital with
a special unit for the care of these infants to reinforce our
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