[Report 1939-1945] / Medical Officer of Health, Fife County Council.

  • Fife (Scotland). County Council.
Date:
1945
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1939-1945] / Medical Officer of Health, Fife County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 194& Delayed Labour 25 40 30 50 59 42 43 Abnormal Labour 11 11 15 7 14 18 T Torn Perineum Maternal Haemorrhage— 42 37 58 38 83 73 43 Ante Partum 7 5 3 6 4 10 4 Post Partum 2 4 3 4 5 3 8. Pain and Puffiness of Legs ... j Weakness— 3 1 1 2 — 1 — Mother ... 4 3 1 2 3 4 — Baby 6 1 2 1 5 — 5 Premature Births 9 10 3 5 3 7 2 Still-Births : Inflamed and Discharging 16 9 9 5 11 13 16. Eyes 13 23 16 15 37 37 28. J aundice 2 — — — r — — Raised Temperature Adherent and Retained Pla- 6 2 6 7 8 6 6 centa 6 5 5 4 7 11 10 Albuminuria ... — 2 8 1 1 2 3 Miscellaneous 36 16 15 8 12 19 18 Total 188 169 175 155 252 246 193 It will be seen that delayed labour and1 perineal tears are the commonest causes for calling medical help. Discharging eyes, abnormal labour and still-births are represented to a lesser extent. The figures can be re-grouped under the headings :—Com- plications relating to (1) Pregnancy, (2) Labour, (3) Lying-in period and (4) the Infant. It is then found that, for the years 1943, 1944 and 1945, there were respectively 11, 18, and 13 complications of pregnancy. Under Complications of Labour there were h81 (1943), 166 (1944) and 118 (1945), the outstanding conditions being torn perineum and delayed labour. The numbers under complications of the lying-in period were 10 (1943), 8 (1944) and 9 (1945). Here Pyrexia contributed the largest number. Complications affecting the Infant accounted for 67 (1943), 62 (1944) and 58 (1945). Here ophthalmia neonatorum had the largest number ; then came still- i births followed by prematurity and debility. In 1939, a midwife was found to be inefficient in the use of the | thermometer. She was shown how to give correct readings and ! eventually satisfactory results were obtained. Another nurse, who i failed to keep records of temperature and pulse readings, was I warned of the serious consequences if she continued to do so. In 1940, there was a diminution in the number of cases of handy- : women acting as midwives. In most of those cases, there was ! evidence that the woman had been called upon in an emergency. A number of midwives raised the question of the duty of a midwife | when called upon to attend a case during an air raid. In a circular | issued to Air Raid Wardens, it was indicated that “ Whilst it is the I duty of a Warden, and, of a midwife, to respond to the call of duty,..