The Washington times., 1926-09-10

Statistics compiled BIZ the Chill
srsns Bstreuas nnd confirmed BIZ
the local health office's figures
khosu the maternal death rate ri
the District 10 he the highest on
record III the entire Nation.
An investigation Of the Dis
kyicts maternal loss has been
lnade 81 The Washington Times,
The results being SeUealed ~ q
series 81 articles b aOhich this Is
Tbs third and last.
These articles hare been aprit-.
Zen not 70 fyighten pyospective
inokh6rs blkt 10 naOnkels them 70
tie adOieubElitu of seelsfk0 medical
attention early. Many maternal
deaths could haze been prevented
b. proper prenatal care,
Last year in the District Of
Columbia 81 women died In
childbirth from puerperal
septicemia.
Septicemia can be prevented
Ia SO cases IN hundred.
DeadIiest Of all foes Of ma
ternity, It is the one for which
there is no excuse.
Blame Is Surgeons
Surgical cleanliness eliminates
all danger TO the mother Of septi-
Eenia, which places the response
bility for those 81 deaths last
year directly on the unfortunate
mothers attendants.
The national death rate or
eepticemia is high. The Children's
Bureau declares one-half the ma
ternal deaths in the country to be
due to septic infection. Regarding
responsibility for the deaths, DR..
Robert Morse Woodbury., formerly
Of the Children's Bureau and now
with the Institute Of Economics,
says:
Nearly Al Preventable
almost all the mortality from
puerperaI septicemia is preventable.
PuerperaI septicemia is infectious in
origin and its prevention depends
upon rigorous observance OF
asepsfs.
- The success of aseptic procedures
fs shown by the experience ,of well
conducted hospitals in which the
mortality has been reduced to a
minimum. The Sydney, Australia,
Woman's Hospital in q 10-year re.
port records 1000 births and not
!. one death from puerperal sepsis.
]. AT the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin
in 1908, 1000 women were con.
> fined. Three died from puerperal
sepsis.
.4ff Those three deaths were afterward
fsq traced TO infection incurred outside
. the hospital Nearer home. the
Chicago Lying-In Hospital in 1899
records IL sos births and only five
~ cases OF eepsis.
Says DR.. woodbury.:
!. Since the prevention Of puer
peral septicennia in given case II
only matter Of attention to asepsif
- rigorous surgical cleanliness), it II
safe 10 assume that its prevention
In the entire country, SO far a
glermai cOnfineInents are concerned
is only . matter Of insuring thu
=. requisite procedure, which should
be familiar to ali persons author
lied 20 attend confinement"
But h. W TO insure this requisite
procedure with which DIR. Wood
bury assumes all licensed physicians
nurses and midwiyes are familiar.
Public Supervision
The Children's Bureau says 1t cal
be accomplished in two ways:
Effective supervision by pub.
lie health agency over hospitals.
over the training and admittance
to practice of physicians, and over
midwives and nurses.
Legislation requiring physicians
60 report TO the health authorities
ell cases of puerperal septicemia
90 coming under their jurisdiction.
The latter suggestion is particu
tarly stressed by the Children's Blu
reau. Blanche NJ Haines. chief o
the infant and maternity division
s. OF the bureau, believes septicemi'
as q menace to maternity should b.
entirely eliminated by requiring the
every physician under whose care