Nineteen-year survey of maternal mortality at the Cook County Hospital

1.1. Maternal deaths following delivery of 104,123 live babies in nineteen years at the Cook County Hospital are reviewed.2.2. In spite of inadequate facilities and limited nursing personnel, the maternal mortality has dropped from 150 per 10,000 live births in 1934 to 7.9 in 1951 (Fig. 8).3.3. Reasons for the increased safety of motherhood are discussed. These include the sulfonamides, blood banks, the antibiotics, better prenatal care, increased awareness on the part of both physician and patient as to the necessity of prompt investigation of abnormal signs and symptoms.4.4. The greatest hope for further lowering of maternal mortality lies in the complete elimination of deaths due to toxemia. Proper prenatal care, plus convincing physicians that mortality from toxemia is practically zero if convulsions are prevented, could accomplish this.