Maternal mortality : report of meeting held at Friends' House. Euston Road on November 15, 1932
1932-11 1932 1930s 36 pages which has been caused or aggravated by pregnancy the need is very great. They say that in many women their health and their vitality is impaired through those disabilities, their usefulness is diminished and their expectation of life reduced. I have my doubts as to whethe...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
London : Maternal Mortality Committee,
November 1932
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/A8DAB2A5-5865-4856-9BC4-5943D3FAD2CF http://hdl.handle.net/10796/908F553F-7F13-4375-AC32-1C330A6C6952 |
| Summary: | 1932-11
1932
1930s
36 pages
which has been caused or aggravated by pregnancy the need is very great. They say that in many women their health and their vitality is impaired through those disabilities, their usefulness is diminished and their expectation of life reduced. I have my doubts as to whether sufficient attention has been drawn to those brief paragraphs in those Reports, and I would venture to suggest that we should add to the resolution, at the end of the first paragraph, "an adequate post-natal service." This service is rare still in this country at the present time, and the records have not been collected or analysed. The Royal Naval Maternity Home and Child Welfare Council have been responsible since 1921 for a service which is rapidly approaching a complete service, although we should never call it complete, because we shall extend it as the need shows itself. Eighteen months ago, through the kindness of the Local Authority, we were allowed funds to start a post-natal service. We thought it would take some time to develop, but to our astonishment during those eighteen months 90 per cent. of the wives who have been sent home have presented themselves for examination. Out of 405 we have had to record that 220 were quite well, of the 185 remaining most of them were suffering from a minor disability which needed a little attention, but some, of course, needed far more. Some of the minor disabilities were treated at our clinic, others were sent on to the appropriate agency, a doctor or a hospital, and the results were most admirable. I could give you the records, but that would bore you, and it would not really help my point which is this. Owing to the need for taking action to reduce the rate for Maternal Mortality and damage we have had throughout the country to give publicity to the figures, and the women of this country are fully alive to the dangers of motherhood. I say that the value of that service, apart from the treatment, is the enormous happiness and relief we have been able to give to these women. By the giving to them of a clean health certificate the psychological and moral effect has been tremendous. Our Maternal Mortality rate has dropped from 4 to 2.3, and this has given new hope on the other side. This service costs a trivial amount, but, as I say, it gives 1,000 per cent. interest in happiness. THE CHAIRMAN : I understand that you wish to amend the resolution by the addition of "and post-natal" after "antenatal," and I understand that Miss Sutherland would be willing to accept the amendment. Is it the wish of the meeting that those words be added? (The audience signified its willingness to have the words added.) That is carried, I think. (23)
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |