BABY WELFARE WORK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17881, 8 September 1921, Page 5

BABY WELFARE WORK

NEW ZEALAND'S SUCCESS.

AN AMERICAN ANALYSIS.

Mr. G. M. Fowlds -smites : —There has just bflen received from America a pamphlet entitled " Infant Mortality and Preventive Work in New Zealand," ty Robert M. Woodbury, Ph.D., Director of Statistical Research, Children's Bureau, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Woodbury visited the Dominion last year, and this paper was given before the i American Child Hygiene Association in October, 1920. The writer makes a series of valuable tables and interesting charts, comparing New Zealand's figures with those of a number of American States and towns. He views the problem from different angles, and makes deductions that local people might overlook. While giving great credit to the wonderful work achieved since the ink-educ-tion of the " Plunket " system in the reduction of infant mortality, Dr. Woodburv stresses the difference in climate of America and New Zealand, and comments on our favourable local conditions.

As pointed out, the mortality rate in New Zealand is 48.4 per 1000 births, and in the United States (1918) it is 101. Some 41 years ago our own rate was 100, so we have halved our rate, and have now the lowest in the world.

But when we consider the intensive work now in progress in New Zealand with, say, 50 Plunket nurses, we naturally should make a much better showing than any American town which yet can hardly be putting forth the same effort. Our advantage over American cities is greatest in the mortalitv from gastric and intestinal diseases. The advantage is nearly as great in the case of respiratory diseases, but in the causes peculiar to early infancy New Zealand's advantage was relatively slight. For instance, in the case of the latter New Zealand's rate was 27.3, and two American towns, Akron and New Bedford, had rates of ?8.9 and 29.0 respectively. Therefor* there appears to be grounds here for the consideration of our child welfare department, in order that our fine lead in the other sections may extend to this section. Another table presents a comparison with the United States as a whole, and shows that the infant mortality from gastric and intestinal diseases in U.S.A. was seven and a-half times the rate in New Zealand, the rate from respiratory diseases was four times, from epidemic diseases three times, and from malformations twice tihe rate in New Zealand, and in early infancy the United States was only one-fifth higher. This shows a curious graduated decline in New Zealand's advantage, and warrants investigation at this end.

Possibly an improvement in the esse of malformations and deaths in. early infancy may be seen -when more mothers take advantage of the pre-natal education now beine offered by the Plnnket nurses The education of youns eirls in rnothercraft should also brinjr about crea-t changes. A sr-ecial imorovement on our fibres is revealed in the neriod from 1905. this marking the time when tlie " P'unket '" movement ws« inaugurated. Ptferrinr to this. Dr. Woodhurv says:—"ln interpreting this decrease it sli-iuM be mentioned that, fro-n the point of view o* prevention a fa.l! in the rate of mortality cf 10 points is more cpsilv secured when the initial rate is 100 than when the initial is only f-0. The increase in the rate of fall rlurinz the last 10 years is therefore all the more This won'd indicate that we shall find >fc more difficult to make substantia' reductions in future.