446 



JOINT SECTIONAL MEETING 



The CHAIRMAN: If the Conference adopts them they 

 will go back to the Executive Committee. The Executive 

 Committee will then deal with them as orders given by this 

 Conference. They will take them to whatever Government 

 department, or whatever Government official, or whatever 

 authority the Executive Committee may think most likely 

 to carry them into effect. The Executive Committee will 

 approach that authority, and will endeavour to get them to 

 carry the resolutions into operation. 



The third resolution is: "That this Conference urges 

 upon the Government the necessity in the interests of both 

 mother and child of legislating for the registration of still- 

 births." Is that agreed? It is carried with unanimity. 

 The fourth resolution reads: "That this Conference urges 

 upon the Government the necessity for the more complete 

 medical certification of death, and that the medical death 

 certificates should be forwarded to the registrars as con- 

 fidential documents under sealed cover/' Do you agree to 

 that? (Cries of "Agreed.") That is carried. 



Resolution five is as follows : " That the time has arrived 

 for steps to be taken with a view to securing the better 

 training of women whjo apply for the certificate of the 

 Central Midwives Board." 



A DELEGATE asked whether the resolution meant that 

 midwives were to undergo a much stiffer examination than 

 they had to pass at the present time. 



The CHAIRMAN : It is beyond our powers to give a 

 definition at the present time. If we desire midwives to be 

 better qualified, this resolution says that the time has come 

 for steps to be taken with a view to securing their better 

 training. 



Another DELEGATE asked whether it was the idea of the 

 Medical Section of the Conference to push this matter to the 

 point of improving the midwives out of existence as one of 

 the speakers said the previous day. (Cries of " No.") 



The CHAIRMAN: It is for the improvement of the train- 

 ing of midwives; that is the purpose of this resolution. I 

 will now put the resolution. It is carried. 



The CHAIRMAN then submitted the three following reso- 

 lutions, which were also carried unanimously: 



" That this Conference requests the Executive Com- 

 mittee to communicate with the General Medical Council 

 and the degree and licence conferring bodies with a view 

 to infant hygiene being given a more important place in the 

 medical curriculum." 



" In view of the large percentage of stillbirths and infant 

 deaths directly attributable to venereal diseases, and con- 



