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30
Maternal Mortality Investigations.
All cases of puerperal fever or puerperal pyrexia notified to the
Medical Officer of Health are carefully investigated. Since 1928, at
the request of the Ministry of Health, confidential inquiries have
been made into the circumstances of every maternal death, either
by the Council's appointed Medical Investigator or by the Medical
Officer of Health, and a confidential report on each death is forwarded
to the Ministry of Health.
Action taken to combat Maternal Mortality and Morbidity.
In my Report for 1931, reference was made to Memorandum
156/M.C.W., and Circular No. 1167, which were issued by the
Ministry of Health following consideration of the Interim Report
of the Departmental Committee on Maternal Mortality and
Morbidity.
This Council in their review of the recommendations of the
Departmental Committee decided to arrange for the services of a
Consultant to be available for any doctor requiring his opinion in
any difficulties or complications arising before, during, or after
confinement. It was also decided to provide at cost price sterilised
Maternity outfits to patients at the request of doctors and practising
midwives in the Borough.
The appointment of a municipal midwife was not considered
necessary inasmuch as the supply of midwives in private practice is
more than adequate for the needs of the Borough.
These services are additional to those which have been available
to the women of Camberwell for some years, such as ante-natal
clinics, the payment of fees of midwives for services rendered in
necessitous cases, the services of a consultant for cases of puerperal
fever, the provision of municipal maternity ward accommodation
for cases needing institutional treatment on medical grounds, and
for women whose housing conditions are unsuitable for confinement
in their own homes, the supply of milk to expectant mothers and
nursing mothers, laboratory facilities for the examination of pathological
material, and the education of the women of Camberwell by
the free distribution of a booklet on matters relating to pregnancy
and maternity.
In a circular letter dated February, 1932, the Ministry of
Health drew attention to the need of combined epidemiological and
bacteriological investigations into cases of puerperal sepsis in
particular, with a view to defining the responsibility of the throat
"carrier." The communication also stated that arrangements had
been made for the services of the bacteriologist of Queen Charlotte's
Hospital at Hammersmith, to be available for the assistance of
Medical Officers of Health in connection with special investigations
of outbreaks of puerperal sepsis.
The Final Report of the Departmental Committee on Maternal
Mortality and Morbidity was published in August, 1932.