[Report 1934] / Medical Officer of Health, Staffordshire County Council.

  • Staffordshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1934
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1934] / Medical Officer of Health, Staffordshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    47/108 (page 45)
    Maternal Mortality In the accompanying table the maternal mortality rate for the Administrative County showing the deaths per thousand (live and still) births in the last six years is given. Year. Total (Live and Still) Births. Deaths FROM Maternal Mortality per 1,000 (Live and Still) Births. Puerperal Sepsis. Other Diseases and Accidents of Parturition. 1929 13,675 17 42 4-3 1930 13,823 22 23 3-2 1931 13,338 11 29 3-0 1932 12,917 21 29 3-9 1933 11,960 19 18 3-1 1934 12,497 28 27 4-4 It will be observed that the maternal mortality rate for 1934 is greater than that for the previous year, 55 cases dying from puerperal sepsis or other diseases and accidents of parturition, compared with 37 in 1933. It is disappointing to have to report this result in view of the efforts that are being made to diminish maternal mortality. The majority of the deaths occurring during 1934 have been the subject of a special investigation and reports on these have been forwarded to the Ministry of Health for the consideration of the Special Committee set up some years ago. From a scrutiny of these reports it would appear that there is no special factor in this County to which the maternal deaths can be attributed : such factors as the age of the woman, the sufficiency, or otherwise, of ante-natal care and supervision, the circumstances of the mother, the facilities available for treatment and the number of cases in which interference at labour has been necessary, have all been taken into account, but no definite conclusions can be drawn from the data at our disposal. It is the duty of a midwife to notify all deaths that occur in her practice whether as a midwife or as a maternity nurse. This rule only relates to the period in which she is actually in attendance and consequently if the patient is removed to Hospital, or not being attended at the time of death by the midwife, the death is not reported by her. During the year 13 deaths were so reported out of a total of 55 maternal deaths registered.