OUR BABIES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20056, 20 September 1920, Page 9

OUR BABIES.

(By “ HYGEIA.)

Piibhslied under the auspices o' the tt ?1 Zealand Society for the ■Health of Women and Children. ‘ It ia ■wiser to put up a fence at the lep of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." Tho following paper on "The Relationship of Infancy and Early Childhood to the Health of the Individual ” was read by Hr E. H. Wilkins, Chief Medical Officer, School Medical Service, at dug of tho sessions of the General Conference of tho society held in Wellington last month. Tho paper provides inn eh food for thought, and we trust that our readers will study the matter carefully, and that they will do their best to eliminate as far as possible the untoward factors which militate so greatly against our national life and efficiency. THE RELATIONSHIP OF INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD TO THE HEALTH OF THE INDIVI-DUAL-ITS NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE. My intention in this short paper is to show the immense importance of tho proper care of the child during the prenatal and infancy period as a factor influencing the future health and development of the individual. Looking at the statistical returns for the year liJin, find that 1252 childlen died before they were one year old—that is. ono ous of every twenty children born dies before reaching the age of one year.. Of those that die in the first year ot life more than half die in the first month. As causes of this infant mortality premature birth ranks first in importance, then come congenital debility, and next diarrhoea, ami enteritis. It may perhaps be said that premature birth is not a fault of the child’s health, but it is a cause of death and ill-health of tire Child, and it is with the causes that we are concerned. In the same, year, 191S, 692 children rere born dead. These figures only in.lude those born after the seventh aonth of pre-natal life, and therefore is a fraction only of the number of abor-

fions and miscarriages occurring in the earlioi .months The total figure (if it were available) of tho deaths occurring before birth should be Considered along with the deaths occurring after birth. Viewed in this light, it is apparent that the function of the reproduction of life, upon which the health of the child essentially depends, has been seriously diverted from the tormal. The health of the mother and pre-natal influences upon the child are part of, and are inseparable from, tho general problem of infant welfare. If there is such a great wastage of life and health prior to birth, and if so many deaths are due to prematurity, how much ill-health and poor physique is due to similar causes acting upon those that struggle on? CONGENITAL DEBILITY. Again, the fact that congenital debility is so prominent a cause of death in the early months of life indcates that, speaking generally, there is something seriously wrong with the vitality of the children who are being born, or to put it another way, if one out of eve 17 twenty children born in New Zealand dies before reaching the age of one year, the influences which brought about these deaths must have an effect many times more serious because of their wider field of action upon the health a 1 physique of the remaining ninetcci no live. Lookiu fo further on, we find that in the year 1918 a total of nearly 2000 children' died before reaching the age of five years. In tho ten years preceding 1919 nearly 20,000 children died before reaching the age of five years—'that is an average of more than five deaths every day. DENTAL DISEASE. As children grow older the deathrate grows less. Ido not think it can bo' too strongly emphasised that the very high mortality in the first five years of life, and especially in tho first year, is but an insign.ficant fraction as compared with the impaired health and physique of many of those who do not die at this early stage. It is those who do not die who populate tho country and build up its future. Looking at the matter from the standpoint of the child of school age, we find that two of the most serious and common defects revealed by the medical inspection of schools are largely dependent upon errors of upbringing in infancy. You arc no doubt well aware, of tho far-reaching train of evils directly and indirectly resulting from dental disease. This is, in fact, ’ one of tho greatest, if not the greatest, factor at present undermining the health of the nation. IMPORTANCE OF FIRST PERMANENT MOLARS. I cannot now discuss the causes of the decay of teeth, but it is a remarkable fact that of the permanent teeth the one which is most difficult to prevent from decaying is the first permanent molar. It appears to have a particularly weak resistance to the factors causing decay. As you know, the temporary teeth are built up before birth, while the permanents are built afer the birth of the child. This tooth, of which we are speaking, is the first"'of the permanent set to erupt, and it appears at about six years of age. It is at the same lime the largest and most important tooth in the mouth. It is the first of the permanent. teeth to be formed, and it is calcified mainly during tho first year. It has been pointed out that the reason why this tooth is of such poor quality is because ho infancy period, during which it is formed, is a time notorious for error in feeding, digestive disturbances, and malnutrition- I might add, by way or parenthesis, that !a Tat and apparently well-fed baby may at the same, lime be a subject of malnutrition. Here, then, wo have a fairly clear example of how error in infancy may prejudice the health of thd individual all through life. (Dr Wilkin’s paper will he concluded nest week.)