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20.
As the London County Council is the Local Supervisory
Authority in the case of midwives the County
Council's Medical Officer obtains the details of the pregnancy
and labour from the midwife when one has been
in attendance. The County and Borough Medical Officers
then exchange reports which are finally sent to the
Maternal Mortality Committee of the Ministry of
Health. The names of the patient and of the private
doctor and midwife are not mentioned in these reports
as the object of the Committee is not to criticise the
work of the doctors and midwives but to obtain information
which may be of value in the campaign against
maternal mortality.
It must be admitted that even after all the information
has been collected it is often incomplete. Although
it is not by any means easy for the Medical Officer of
Health to ascertain the necessary details it is even more
difficult for the obstetric specialist to do so as the latter
is not personally acquainted with the various persons
from which the details are obtained. The advice of
the specialist in elucidating the case is, however, helpful.