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this state of affairs is changed in the future and more midwifery is under-
taken by the general practitioner, the results may be serious, as the
average male practitioner's knowledge of midwifery is rather limited.
This is due to the fact that apart from the colleges and two or three
medical schools, the training of medical students in obstetrics is poor,
owing to the great difficulty that is experienced in obtaining a sufficient
number of confinement cases in the teaching hospitals for the satisfactory
training of male students. Also post-graduate course for general practi-
tioners are rare, whilst facilities for specialist courses in obstetrics exist
only in the cities of Madras, Calcutta and Bombay.

       Apart from the Medical School for Women at Ludhiana there are no
facilities for the training of medical students in domiciliary midwifery.

       2. Midwives.—The schools for the training of midwives are far below
the needs of the country. The standard of training in many of the schools
is of a low order as many of the institutions are badly staffed and poorly
equipped. Madras and Bombay Presidencies are the most advanced in
the training of nurses and midwives.

       Legislation regulating the training and registration of midwives has
been passed in the Provinces of Madras, Bombay, Punjab, Delhi, United
Provinces, Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, and the Central Provinces, but the
working of the Acts, apart from those in Madras and Bombay, is still
in the initial stages and comparatively little benefit has yet resulted from
this legislation.

       There seems little hope of getting rid of the dai in this country for
many years to come and unless she is controlled by proper legislation little
progress in the improvement of the midwifery service of India can be
expected.

3. RESEARCH ON MATERNAL MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY.

       Considerable knowledge of the diseases of childbirth is possessed by
individuals but very little active research has been carried out in this field
and very few articles on this subject have been published. Reliable
statistical data on the incidence and causes of maternal deaths is not
available in the reports of the Directors of Public Health. In view of
this and since many women's hospitals keep excellent records the Council
of the Women's Medical Association in India decided to collect and
publish these records with a view to making the material more widely
available and stimulating research. The figures from various women's
hospitals throughout India for 1935-36 have been classified by Dr. M. I.
Neal and published in the August issues of the Journal of the Association
of Medical Women in India in 1936 and 1937.

       The first reasonably complete study of Maternal Mortality was made
by Dr. A. L. Mudalyiar in 1931-32 at the suggestion of the Surgeon
General, Madras. The survey was financed by the Corporation of Madras.

Contributed by Dr. Jean M. Orkney, W. M. S.