[Report 1924] / Medical Officer of Health, Durham County Palatine / County Council.

Durham County Council

Date:: 1924

Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1924] / Medical Officer of Health, Durham County Palatine / County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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Six of the total were delivered by handywomen and 67 by doctors, only 18 by trained midwives. Thirty-one children were born dead, while 10 died sub- sequent to birth, or nearly 35%. In only 11 cases were patients given an enema; in view of the fact that one of the first lessons in the management of labour is to clear the patient’s bowel, this is very serious; but up to the present it has not been a routine practice in the county. Again, 31 deaths were due to sepsis, in one form or another, and in only 2 cases was there evidence that gloves were worn. By far the greater number of deaths are due to sepsis of one form or another, 31, or 28%, 9 were due to eclampsia and 5 to nephritis, while 8 died from placenta praevia. One would wish that more of the patients were nursed in institutions, as so few of the houses are suitable for obstetric operations. CAUSES OF DEATHS. Puerperal Sepsis. Septic Endometritis (following abortion) General Septicaemia ,, ,, after abortion ,, ,, with phlebitis ,, ,, with broncho-pneumonia ,, ,, with cyetitis ,, ,, with septic endocarditis ,, ,, with placenta praevia ... ,, ,, with cerebral embolism . ,, ,, with toxic vomiting 2 10 2 2 I I I I I I Total 22

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