The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 1924. MATERNAL MORTALITY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 14 June 1924, Page 8

The Timaru Herald. SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 1924. MATERNAL MORTALITY.

Whilst it is eminently desirable that the real laets should be revealed m connection with maternal mortality, it is equally desirable that official spokesmen should avoid the least semblance of exaggeration. During the tiily years covered by a table published in tne Yew Zealand real Book, it is shown that the deuthlate Horn puerperal causes lias ranged between 8.58 and 7.81 per 100 U live births legislated, the lowest rare being in 1918 and the highest in 1885. ‘’J.t is noticeable,” says the Year Book, "that in the cases of both lowest and highest rates, neighbouring* years rank first and second on the list-. The rate for 1920 was the third highest on record., having been exceeded only in 1884 and 1885, but it is gratifying to see this high rate was not maintained the two following years. However serious the problem might be, u is pointed out that the careless handling of statistical comparisons has resulted, iu many eases oi grave- misgivings, and positive iear. The recently circulated story, crediting Dr. Bomare with having stated that ”755 deaths had occurred of women in childbirth in the last live months'' is so palpable an error that contradiction is hardly necessaryObviously ‘‘five years” was meant. The Year Book shows that deaths from puerperal causes in the five years, 1918-1922, totalled 746, namely 1918, 184; 1919, 124; 1920, 194; 1921, 145; 1922, 149. Maternal deaths esq mated at 0 per 1000 births, makes 180 deaths per annum, or 75 in live months. The truth is, as the Year Book shows, that over 700 women have- died in child-birth oi irom other puerperal causes, tv has been rep-icseuted to us by a medical auction ty, that while the uiaie-rnal dentil mt-e from these combined causes is (j per IOUu living births, the six includes all ailments of women in that condition. Moreover,, the thousand docs not include anything but living bulbs; if, however, premature births, etc., were included, the thousand would probably increase- to 1400 or 1500. Bis deaths of women m this condition out of 1500, is 4 per 1000. It is admitted by the- medical profession that these figures are alarming enough, but not one-tenth as bad as recent press messages made them appear. JJr. _ V uimtuie is reported to have said, at a meeting at Palmerston iN’ortli, that the “maternity death rate iu Yew Zealand is 6 per cent v oi 1000 of population.'’ The Year Book shows that the- Y T ew Zealand death rate is between 9 anti 10 per 1000 of population. Oi these, approximately half were women, and of these- about 25 per cent, died between, the ages of 15 and 50. In other words, the death rate of women during childbearing age is :[ of 4 of 10 pci 1000, equal to less than 2 per 1000 of 'population. If Dr.

Valintine’s statement means anything; at all, it ■. makes the claim that lour limes as many women died m child birth than the total number of deaths of females. This claim is most absurd and unsupported by statistics. The explanation may be lound in the fact that, Dr- Valintine coniuseu per lUOl) of population wan pei iGUU oi cluiureii born, it is regrettable, in view of the seriousness of the problem _of maternal morality, that anything approaching' alarmist, staiemenia should be circulated. Obvious l \ there has not been very much care, exercised in handling the statistical evidence of the all-too-numerous deaths from pueperal causes, and .statements likely_ to create anything approaching panic should be studiously avoided. Nevertheless, as the Year Book shows, there is cause for careful inquiry, since during the five years 1911-15, deaths shown as being* due to puerperal septicaemia averaged 26 per annum, and duiing the next live years 55 per annum, an increase of 29. The corresponding figure-, for non-puerpci id or undefined septicaemia, oi women of childbearing age were 16 and 4 for tlm quinquennia, a decrease of only 12. The l point we wish to stress is that, the report credited to Sir Maui Bomare that “100 deaths had occurred of women in childbirth in the last five months' should have read five years— an obviously less disquieting state or affairs.