CHILD WELFARE

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 38, 13 August 1921, Page 9

CHILD WELFARE

ACTION IN AMERICA.

In the United States in 1919 one mother died for every 135 babies born,, and every eleventh baby born died before it was a. year-old. That these rates are excessive is ehown in "Save the Youngest," a bulletin issued recently by the United States Department of Labour through the Children's Bureau, and just revised to compare the latest rates for the United States with those for foreign countries.

Six countries are shown to have a lower infant mortality,. and sixteen in a group of seventeen a lower maternal mortality than the United States. The New York Times says:—"Not only do wo lote more mothers in proportion to births than practically any other civilised country, but we apparently lose more on an average each year than the year beford. Whereas, in other countries there has been a decrease in the death rate from child-birth, the rate in. the United States rose from 6.1 1000 births in 1915 to b.Z in 1916; 6.6 in .1917, and to 7.4 in 1919. Moreover, in this country there is no appreciable decrease in the proportion of babies who die,, from causes largely connected with the care and condition of the mother."

Experience has proved, the bulletin points out, that thousands of deaths of both mothers and children could be prevented every year by publio measures for the protection of maternity and infancy. In New York City, among 4496 mothers who were supervised by the New York Maternity Centre Aaßooiatiin before and after the birth of their babies, the maternal mortality rate was less than onethird the rate of the United States, and the rate for deaths in early infanoy was less than half that for the city as a whole. In other citiee of tho United States and in foreign countries the institution of infant welfare measures has been followed by greatly decreased death-rates.'

Measures which have proved successful in preventing- this waste of life among mothers and babies include- the following: —Prompt and accurate birth registration, health centres, publio nurses, special clinios, trained attendance at child-birth, adequate hospital_ service, education of the mother^ in maternity and child hygiene and education of the general public in tho significance of and necessity for maternal and infant health.