Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-10-30


Oh which to report at this meeting, would re-
spectfully report:
PREVALENCE OF TIE EVIL.
That they accepted the appointment of Sy-
nod under the impression that the act by which
criminal abortions are effected, was so frequent
as TO demand the attention of Synod. But they
supposed that this crime was confined almost
exclusively TO cities and large towns, while the
country was comparatively free from it. But
our inquiries have greatly increased our sense
OF the prevalence Of the evil and convinced
us that it is as common in the country as any
where else
We also commenced our inquiries under the
expectation that we should Jind The evil TO cx-
ist principally among the imeligious portion
of community. But here again we have been
sadly disappointed. The physicians of whom
we have made inquiries, have said that they
see no difference except that after the 'qntcI-
entng" there is more scruplcs OF conscience
among Christians, than among others. The uLi-
form testimony Of physicians IS tlat tins crime
is very prevalent, notonly in cites and large
towns, but also in the rural districts.
\ Christian physician writes 10 your com
mittec, Ny experience and observation during
twenty-five years in the city Of Cleveland, iur-
nish me reason to know that teticidc is alarm
ingly prevalent and common The cases would
probably number in this city, at least, two
hundred per year. The crime is most common
among that class, "a large enc, and found in
all circles Of society, high and low, rich and
poor, sometimes in the church, but oftener out
of it, who have low views of the responsible
ties of lilo, and who live for show, for pleasure,
and for selfish indulgence"
The statistics Of this crime were made a few
years SINCE by the Medical Associations of
Philadelphia, revealing most appalling state
of things in that city. But the physician, Dr.
Jewell, who embodied all the facts in one re-
port, has since died and his papers cannot be
found. But so much were the physicians of
that city interested to know, that as a Synod,
we were turning eur attention to that subject,
they have commenced another census of the
city for your committee But the results could
not be received in time for this report
Your committee have had before them sta
tistical tables from all the principal countries
of Europe, which show that the evil is very
common there and greatly on the increase.
These tables also show that while Paris excels
all the other cities of Europe in this crime, as
might have been expected, it is more prevalent
throughout the empire, than in the metropolis.
We have no carefully prepared statistics in
our own country, except from New York City
and from the State of Massachusetts.
"Since 1906, when returns were first made
to the Registry of New York, the number, pro-
portionate as well as actual, of fetal deaths,
has steadily and rapidly increased. With a
population at that time of 1910, the num-
Der OF still and premature births was AZ ;
in 1919, with population estimated 450 900,
the numbers swelled to 1920 thus, while the
population had increased only si1 times siuce
1905, the annual number of still and premature
births had multiplied over tnenty-secea times"
"The ratio of fetal deaths to the population
was, in 1905, to 1884 in lS40 it was | 10
3409. In the next seven years following, the
statistics show that the number of fetal deaths
in New York, already enormous had very near
ly doubled.
again, in 1885, the total number Of births
at the full time in New York was 17,755 of
these l6,l09 were living proving that child
ren at full time alone, setting aside the great
number of yiable children born prematurely,
and the innumerable earlier abortions are not
recorded, / in every LA is born dead. From
1854 to 1857 there were AZ, 1928 births, and 5,93I
still births, or in other words, TO every e.1
was born dead."uIta rl1sgssf8sg
In the State of Massachusetts, the steady
and rapid decrease in the increase of the
native population has for years past been ava
kening the serious apprehensions of thought
full men. The increase of this part of the popu-
laton is now less than the mortality in the
same class If no more foreigners should come
into the State, the time is not remote when the
descendants of those now there must contrel
the State. This state of things some have at
tempted to explain by the large emigration of
young families to the west
But there are statistics, which must not be
overlooked when we seek full explanation OF
this state of things. From 1850 to 1855, the
registration being much more accurate than