Fitness from Birth

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 211, 7 September 1938, Page 13

Fitness from Birth

‘‘ln these days of smaller birth rates wo need to do all that is constructively possible to secure that tho babies which are born are of the best,” asserted Lord Dawson of Penn, tho eminent physician, speaking in the House of Lords. “Every baby that dies at birth represents a failure, and we can only find out the cause by investigating tho why and wherefore of tho failure. This is a real problem, because in the year 1934 in England 43,670 infants died at or soon after birth, and in the year 1936 in Scotland it was estimated that no fewer than 4000 infants died at or soon alter birth. In the old days when the birth rate was high and the infant death rate was high there was less need for this care, because there was a largo production of children. Civilisation has brought down the infant death rate, littlo perhaps realising tho consequences. As tho result of bringing down the death rate of infants, it has subsequently brought down the birth rate, with tho result that the turnover is to-day much smaller than it was when Nature had a freer hand, and 3 ou do not get the fitness brought about by the turnover of numbers. We are, therefore, led to the onl; other alternative open to us, which is to set to work and plan for fitness by every measure possible.”