An Enquiry into the Value of Ante-Natal Care

Montgomery, Gladys (1930) An Enquiry into the Value of Ante-Natal Care. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The majority of women are well and in good health during pregnancy. The minority suffer disabilities of one kind or another and need most careful supervision. The aim of ante-natal clinics is to have cognisance of all disabilities so that the obstetrician is master of the situation, dealing with all difficulties in good time and not treating them as hopeless emergencies. The amount of work done and advice given at Ante-Natal Clinics is considerable and causes one to realise the importance of their function. Some Clinics, well-established and keen, have already accomplished a revolution in the practice of midwifery. Guys Hospital report for 1929 shows a reduction in the mortality rate from 4 to 0.56 and the East End Hospital for London has equally happy statistics, viz. 0.64 It is not too much to hope by more general observance of antenatal care by medical students and practitioners, the above figures will be the maternal mortality rate for future generations. Of course there will always be a residuum of cases in which surgical - and in that obstetrical is included - and medical skill fail from pure accidental happenings. Jellett attributes the comparatively low maternal mortality rate, viz., 2.53 in Holland and the Scandinavian countries in great part to the fact that in these countries ante-natal diagnosis and care have been fully developed. He maintains that if all deaths preventable by ante-natal diagnosis and care were prevented the maternal mortality rate would be reduced by nearly 2 per 1000, thus bringing our rate down to a rate comparable with that of Holland and the Scandinavian countries. Therefore it is clear that the value of ante-natal care cannot be over estimated.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Medicine
• Date of Award: 1930
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1930-79881
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 03 Mar 2020 10:27
• Last Modified: 03 Mar 2020 10:27
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/79881