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STILLBIRTHS AND NEO-NATAL DEATHS
There were four stillbirths and only one neo-natal death in the early neo-natal period.
These figures suggest that the arrangements for the selection of mothers for home confinement are
working well.
PREMATURE BABIES
When a mother who is booked for home confinement goes into labour before the date of
expected confinement, the midwife informs the booked doctor who can then decide if the mother
should be transferred to hospital. If the baby has already been born, the general practitioner obstetrician
can, in appropriate cases, arrange for the infant's admission to the premature baby unit at
University College Hospital. A trained nurse from the hospital brings a special premature baby
cot by ambulance and takes the baby to the unit. Eleven premature babies were born at home. Nine
of these babies were nursed at home as their birth weights were all 5 lb. or over and two babies
were transferred to the premature baby unit. All the babies survived.
Ten calls were made for the Emergency Obstetric Unit. The reasons for the calls were as
follows: two cases for post partum haemorrhage; three ante-partum haemorrhage (one hospital-booked
case); two retained placenta; two abortions; one delay in second stage of labour. Seven cases were
transferred to hospital after appropriate treatment had been given at home.
Twenty-five pupil midwives gained practical experience of district work with Camden
midwives.
FAMILY PLANNING
The family planning facilities which the Council is permitted to offer were limited during
the year under review by the terms of the Ministry of Health circulars on birth control issued in
1931 and 1934. Briefly, contraceptive instruction and advice could be offered to married women for
whom pregnancy was detrimental to health.
The restriction of the service to married women and the limitation on medical grounds
making pregnancy detrimental to health have become the subject of growing concern particularly in
recentyears, and the Minister of Health has the matter under review in the light of current sociological
trends. Within the framework of these limitations, the London County Council ran family planning
clinics direct, and these were taken over by the London Borough Councils.
In addition to running its own clinics the London County Council provided the Family Planning
Association with accommodation at their welfare centres free of charge. This was designed to
encourage the establishment of clinics and to afford the opportunity for more women to obtain contraceptive
advice, since the Family Planning Association is not limited by the terms of the Ministry
circulars. In areas where no directly provided clinics were in operation, the Council paid a capitation
fee to the Family Planning Association in respect of each woman, within the category covered by
the Ministry circulars, referred to the Association by the Council as needing advice on medical
grounds.
Family Planning sessions taken over from the London County Council consisted of two a
week at the Kentish Town Welfare Centre, one at Somers Town Welfare Centre, ana one weekly and
one fortnightly session at the Province of Natal Centre, a total of sessions a week.
Additionally the Family Planning Association held four sessions in Council centres under
the arrangement referred to above.
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