[Report 1958] / School Medical Officer of Health, Exeter.

  • Exeter (England). City Council
Date:
1958
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1958] / School Medical Officer of Health, Exeter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Pre-School Children. 237 pre-school children were examined, including 222 whose parents desired treatment or who were referred from Child Welfare Clinics and 15 in Buddie Lane Nursery (of whom 13 had sound mouths). Anaesthetics. Dr. G. M. Higgins resigned from her appointment as part- time anaesthetist on 11th August, 195(S, and Dr. N. G. P. Butler was appointed her successor on 21st August, 1958. DOMICILIARY MIDWIFERY. (See also Table XX). 455 (38%) of the 1,189 babies born to the City mothers during 1958 were born at home : 4 of them were born in private houses (with relatives, etc.) outside the City ; 734 (62%) were born in hospitals and other institutions : this proportion is roughly the same as in the country as a whole. The total number of births notified in the City during 1958 (including those born to non- Exeter residents) was 1,821. It should be noted that the figures used in the vital statistics earlier in this report refer to registra- tions : as registration of birth is allowed up to six weeks after the birth, the two sets of figures are not identical. Midwifery. Organisation. This remains unchanged. Staff. At the end of the year there were the Superintendent, 1 Assistant Superintendent (Midwifery), 7 midwives and 6 pupil midwives, all resident in the Exeter Maternity and District Nursing x\ssociation’s home. Education and Training. (a) Pupils ; during the year, 11 ])upil midwives sat the Central Midwives Board’s examination. Part II, and all passed ; of these, 6 subsequently returned to our staff (5 to take Queen’s training and 1 to practise midwifery) ; 2 went to work in maternity hospitals, 1 went to work in a general hospital, 1 returned to her own district to practise and 1 got married. There is no difficulty in getting sufficient pupils. I am indebted to the hospital con- sultants (especially Mr. Russell, Mr. Jefferiss, Dr. Brimblecombe and Dr. Powell) for the help they give us. (h) Midwives ; None of the midwives were due for refresher courses this year.