[Report 1968] / Medical Officer of Health, Nottingham City.

  • Nottingham (England). City Council.
Date:
1968
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1968] / Medical Officer of Health, Nottingham City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    41/162 (page 29)
    Chest Examination This was limited to immigrants and those who had not received B.C.G. vaccination within the past two years, except in exceptional circumstances. During 1968, thirty expectant mothers were referred for examination, of whom there were eighteen defaulters and none were referred for further examination. Blood Examination It is essential for every expectant mother that her blood group and rhesus factor be ascertained and recorded. It is also important to discover, as soon as possible evidence of anaemia and/or venereal disease. Both can be easily cured with appropriate treatment in the early stages. Appropriate blood samples were obtained from every expectant mother attending clinics, and general practitioners also referred similar women for this purpose who were booked for home confinement under their care. During 1968, samples were examined as follows: Grouping and rhesus factor (ante-natal and post-natal) . . Wasserman, Kahn reactions Haemoglobin estimation Other tests Rhesus factor Incompatibility between the rhesus factor of parents can give rise to serious complications in the foetus, including anaemia, jaundice and mental deficiency. Where antibodies were known to be present, special vigilance was maintained throughout pregnancy and hospital confinement was considered to be essential so that, at the time of birth, special treatment could be given to the baby without delay where necessary. The number of women who attended ante-natal clinics, either for supervision or only for blood tests, and who were found to be iso- immunised, numbered 8. Arrangements were made for them to be confined in hospital and all had live babies. Recent research has shown that haemolytic disease due to the formation of rhesus antibodies in the mother’s blood, can be pre¬ vented in the first, and in subsequent pregnancies, by the admini¬ stration of a special immunising agent within thirty-six hours of delivery to those women at risk. Commencing in June, 1968, it was possible to offer this protection to all rhesus negative mothers having had their first child and shown to be at risk. In order to determine whether or not a woman was in this group, it was necessary to make special examinations of a sample of blood taken immediately after delivery. In those cases where the test was positive, immunisation could be carried out forthwith. In October, as more supplies of the immunising agent became available, the scheme was extended to include rhesus negative multiparae who had not become rhesus sensitised and who had no living child. The majority of rhesus negative women having their first child were delivered in hospital, but the tests and necessary immunisation were available also for women delivered at home. The domiciliary mid wives, by agreement 1,185 1,706 3,125 412