WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1908. THE WASTE OF INFANT LIFE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 252, 21 October 1908, Page 4

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1908. THE WASTE OF INFANT LIFE.

The lecture, delivered) afci Government House yesterday - evening by Dr Truby 1 King, of Dunedin, was a well-timed'and I effective attempt to rouse public interest in a question of the most momentous importance to the whole community. The destruction of infant life that tor a. great variety of causes goes: on year after I year-in- all ; great of ■ population, is one of the most depressing and disI couraging features of. modern civilisa- I I tion. No doubt the decline of the birth-1 I rate. in most parts of Europe, America, and: the Colonies is • a serious menace • to- the- progress- of. the- world at large,and' 1 to the prosperity of every nation' I that- exhibits this, unmistakable synipv j .torn of racial decay. But it is quite I possible- that,- as- Professor Allen, of Melbourne University, has just pointed out in* his- presidential address: to the Medical Congress, the decline in the J birth-rate may be due-in many-quarters I to an increased sense of responsibility on the part of the parents. Where this is so,- the relativcTeductiori in the number, of births may: be attended, by | I greater physical and., industrial. effici- j I ency; and »- higher- level of prosperity, for the'whole community. Thus, even the declining; birth-rate, which, where it I implies a selfish:.unwillingness to accept parental responsibility,- is worthy of all condemnation, may have a favourable influence upon,one of the most deplorable features of our present-social conditions; There can-'b* no-doubt or questi<m-about the harm inflicted upon all civilised' nations throughout the world,to-day by.the . reckless destruction ■ of - infant; life; and until- this-. State of things is • rectified,' tbe anxiety manifested in many quar-', ters about. the falling birth-Tate. is per-1 haps a trifle superfljious. "At present," writesyDr Saleeby, pefhaps the foremost. British authority oik; this subject, "civi-' lised society shows itself quite-incapable of' prteierring as' it' should- the itiiaLtrt'l lives committed to its care; when it can preserve them; rather than, as at .pre-1 .seat, kill one l in- seven "Wfore-the expiry ' of" the fhfst, year of its'life", and damage a far larger number, it may be entitled to suggest that a higher birth-rate would be welcome.,". It is be«use the presier; vation of the-life.and health pf.children is a matter -of such', urgent' concern to the whole race that we consider the thanks of the. community are due to the Society for the Promotion of the Healthof Women and CHildxen, under whose auspices Dr King delivered his' address last,night. The main points of Dr King's lecture should be already familiar to all intelligent men and women who have ever reflected' upon the responsibilities of parents to their children. The dangers to which' babies are exposed through the ignorance of' mothers, the evils of artificial feeding, and-the injuries inflicted by the traditional methods of- soothing and comforting'infants- have often been •described before. We arc glad'to observe thai Di" King did not hesitate to carry bis campaign into the regions Where fashion generally reigns supreme, and'to'den'onrice the many injurious customs and forms of personal attire, that debilitate, women, and so react disastrously upon the physique and" heatth of their children. Evenfor the individual child, it' is surely a" matter' of * supreme and vital importance that it should start in life under the test possible" conditions. But, 'While the' evils deplored' by Dr; King certainly tend- to : minimise health, strength, and happiness i for each ' and evety ■ member" of' the' race subjected.to their influence, they, have collectively deep, and' far-reathing social results. "Society," says *> well-known pathologist', "has yet to suspect, and much' mo**" to act upon' tbe knowledge that an enormous percent-, age of the problem* jy which dalily ' fa-ce it are the direct and necessary products of its" treatment of infant life. I Take, for instance', a current and muchbruited question—that of unemployment. There is much talk, with ulterior ends, of economic-fiscal and-like factors on this question. Who has yet' uttered the simple truth that the ■ man- who is not .'tforth his. keepf tp7 society: is likely to lack employment; arid that to the causeSI which,, when still- more effective, produce nearly the whole of the" infant mortality is also to he traced a vast proportion of economic worthles'snesd, which is a permanent riecessßiry cause of- unemployment?" And to suggeist another aspect of this far-reaching problem, it may be suf- , ficient to quote an eminent- doctor's dictum that the adequate treatment of dieeased Arid.. deteriorated school children, which is no>y being urged as a Sthte duty in most* civilised cburitri«£, is a I task practically" impossible, because of ! its magnitude. <; Wc must prei-ent for the future; "we shall prevent only by be- | ginning -at the beginning*'; and thus the cry for the airiest of irififit mortality ! ntay inaugurate as epoch-making movement of rieforin' for the whole civilised world; I It is consoling to reflect that thougn somewhat l_te; in the- da,y, the ; leading; civilized communities have at last begun to deal, seriously with this vault ahd' cbm- | plkaited problem; > The chkf difftedltf |, that the mtvsHo' fmot fcdeed _i„i lit, _f tte-rv-oi»'

question. "Is i'fc ouj.7 "iSt- a«ks' : ix_pn the establishment" of infants'milk dtepots, municipal ox other, or upon the problem.of married 7 woman's labour^7 0r,,, upliii^hfi. reconstruction? of, society and the establishment of the purely collectiv-. ist*conception, of maternity, or: upon, the education: of- school, girls, or upon the: establishment of, means for, feeding,_ nursing mothers with a view: to lactation; as is now-being.done-in Prance, or<uppuFthe< prevention by various- means of the'in- 1 troduetion into the world' of such child- | ren as arepredestined to die, or upon-the ante-natal rather- thanL the post-natal j ' factors- 61 the- mortality, or. upon- the •jcajhe of womeh.-who are about to become mothers, or upon the milk supply, or .upon-.the factor of:alcohol!" For every one: of-' th«te-e ; proposals- there- is very -iikely a good deal to be said; and it is probably by a- co-ordination of. efforts In-all these various directions: that the best-results- will ultimately bfe" secured. But such 6, comprehensive experiment in social, reform requires the, co-operation 6f>ii vast variety of. forces; and it is only- two years since the InternationalUnion for the Saving of Infant Life was inaugurated: at, the Brussels- Congress. The first British Infant Mortality Con-, ference was held in London in 1906, and its permanent executive commitee has ' already done good.' work by helping to force through- Parliament the Early | , Notification of Births Act, which demands formal notice of births to the , authorities within 36 hours. Already ' this Act seems likely to achieve its purpose' by" reducing- the- average of mor- | tality among very young infants; and more practical results are expected . from, the. labours of- the second Infant I Mortality Conference that met' in London this year. In America ■ and on the 1 Continent similar movements have been started; and. the.- extent. to which this, question of infaait life and- its preserva- | tion cow trenches upon social problems may be judged, from the fact that one of j the most notable economic works pro- ■ cuecd this year in Italy is an eloquent -, appeal to the State to' support mothers j during the period of bearing and rearing children. Our own Society for the Pro- j motion of. the Health of Women and Children is thus, co-operating in a work of world-wide significance, and it de- | '. Ferves every form'of encouragement and support that the general public can j . give- -— . I