20284-1911-Rules-under-the-Midwives-Ordinance-1910 — Page 2

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, SEPTEMBER 22, 1911. 401

(7.) The pupil midwives now undergoing a course of training at the Alice Memorial Maternity Hospital will be excused from compliance with clauses 1, 2 and 3, and from the written examination, and their course of training shall be deemed to have commenced from the date when they entered such hospital as pupil midwives.

4.-(1.) Any person desiring to commence practice as a midwife in Hongkong is required to give notice in writing to the Secretary of the Midwives Board of her intention so to do, and such notice shall contain the following particulars

(7.) name of applicant ;

(b.) age;

(c.) address;

(d.) nature of qualification ;

(e) two copies of a recent photograph (unmounted), one of which will be inserte:l in the roll of midwives and the other affixed to the certificate issued to the applicant by the Midwives Board;

(f) a certificate of character from some resident of standing in the Colony.

(2.) The notice and accompanying documents shall be considered by the Board, and the Board, if satisfied with the applicant's qualifications, shall issue a certificate under the Ordinance, and direct the secretary to enter the applicant's name on the Roll of Midwives.

DIRECTIONS TO MIDWIVES.

1. The midwife must be scrupulously clean in every way, because the smallest particle of decomposing matter may set up puerperal fever.

She must wear a clean dress of washable material, the sleeves of which should be made sufficiently large to permit of their being tucked well up above the elbows, and before pro- ceeding from one case to another she must thoroughly cleanse and disinfect her hands and forearms and such appliances as she may have had occasion to use.

Note.-Unless the cleansing process be thoroughly carried out there will be, even after a healthy confinement, remains of blood, lochia, or liquor annii on the fingers, and especially under the nails, which will there undergo decomposi- tion, and so become dangerous to the next patient attended. "The midwife must, therefore, keep her nails cut short, and preserve the skin of her hands as far as possible from chaps and other injuries.

2. When called to a confinement a midwife must take with her in a bag or basket furnished with a clean washable lining

(a.) An appliance for giving vaginal injections, a different appliance for giving enemata, a sterilized catheter, a pair of scissors, a clinical thermometer, and a nail brush.

(b) An antiseptic for disinfecting the hands, etc.

(c.) An antiseptic for douching in special cases.

Note.In the case of untrained midwives, the catheter and appliances for giving

vaginal injections may be omitted.

3. Before touching the genital organs the midwife must on each occasion disinfect her hands and forearms.

4. All instruments and other appliances must be disinfected, preferably by boiling, before being brought into contact with the patient's generative organs.

5. Whenever a midwife has been in attendance upon a patient suffering from puer- peral fever, or from any other illness supposed to be infectious, she must disinfect herself, her clothing, and all her instruments and other appliances to the satisfaction of the Medical Officer of Health.

Duties to Patient.

6. A midwife in charge of a case of labour must not leave the patient without giving an address at which she can be found without delay; and after the commencement of the second stage, she must stay with the woman until one hour has elapsed after the expulsion of the placenta. In cases where a doctor has been sent for on account of the labour being abnormal or of there being threatened danger (see Rule 18), she must await the arrival of, and faithfully carry out the doctor's instructions.