New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-05-11
FOUNDING HOSPITALS.
pprvrVrIoN OF INFANT MORTALITY.

CATION, MAY 3, 1871.
Ucrc in America, it sometimes seems rs if
NE act little store by human life and in some places there
ia Nanon waste of existence which the authorities fail
ia recognize or at least refuse 10 arrest This ia partly
dine TO the fact that emigration from the Old World has
NOT yet failed rs. When it does fail us infant life viii
have political value and Legislators will be aroused TO
tho Importance Of this subject. In parts OF New
England. and in Philadelphia, during the early portion
OF che last decade the deaths exceeded the births ana
even during the past year. the deaths IN THIS Guy Weo
only ga less than the births The number OF children
born 70 American parents is small ana IL decreasing
every year. This less true also, of the imme
date descendants OF Irish and German emigranis THESE
facts at least make infant mortality important poti
cay there another view which renders them OF sun
greater Importance. The Outcast and abandoned waits Oh
humanity are living beings and capable as any OF
becoming useful to society. In discussing this matter
two propositions may be accepted true: l. That every
human Life is Of political importance, and ought TO pe
made source Of wealth to the State That II Is I'M
porant for the state that children born in it be reared in
such manner as 10 most thoroughly their fuu
physical. mental. and moral development
II an individual becomes the subject OF disease I'D
stead OF being source wealth to. he becomes Dur
don upon the community in which he lives Moreover
his ofiepring by inhenting his infrmities may e"n
selves suffer. and with each succeeding gehei"'v'
until the whole family to be productive anu ~
come only consumers Of the energies OF others 'no
mental and moral education Of outcas' chlu'o" "
equally important 1t is fact patent TO all tha' 'no
greatest outbreaks against public order are ny e io"e
classes and that hospitals houses OF Curriculum ON"
prisons are filed to OVERLOOKING by ther uheuueaVcu anu
abandoned children Hin states that majority VI tno
female prisoners in the Glasgow prison were egtnaIe
Of 7s perns in the bagnios Of France, in 1885, S9l
vero ileeitimate There were at the same time 1925
inmates OF the state prisons In France OF whom $50
were nlecitimate and SCI foundlDgs. bluch more I'M
portant is the fact that out of 1900 French
Loo Al munich nm
one out of every foundngs ultimately finds his way
IN the state Prison In regard TO the relative mortality
Of abandoned children it may be stated that, according
10 the returns Of the Board Of Health OF Philadelphia
there were born this city during the last hVe years.
S5a57 living and 1888 dead infants. During TINS
period there mortality OF 22S6 per cent
among the infants under Old and 2S2 per cent
died before reaching years of Under fTe years
old the mortality 36sl per cent. 1t will appear
from this that of those who died under the age OF five
years per cent died before reaching the nrst year.
This result is smaller than should be- owing to the
careess0ess OF practitioners In reporting births
Comparing only the statistics OF mortality which are
more accurate it is ascertained that during the last SIX
ysss % per cent 81 thGse s ThS s u YEAR The mortality
infants in philadelphia is about the same as IS
eorng to Fr 65i64 or l66s per cent OF StIi4
This So per cent less than the mortality in Phadel-
phia: difference. however which may result from me
the estimate The mortality here compares very favor
INV with that i'm Austria where 1886 per cent OF all the
children born 1855 and 1861 died during the hrst
wear of life In Berlin the mortality Of infants from 1916
10 is4 was about the same as in our city , ,,...,
IL Is impossible 10 determine the number or lIeglt-
children born in this city MI acton eyes tne
following statistics Tor Europe In Holland ana LG9G IN
England SPAIN and Italy about i've per cent; IN scot
Land, Belgium, France, Prussia, norway, anu oNeIeH
the Ierce1tage is under TO- in Nuremberg 16 in Ba-
vara 22 Paris. %; and IN Vienna d. Inc average Is
dsInSia Adjoining four per cent-that which is found
IN I1ndon--as applicable to Philadelphia, estimate
were egitimate. No distinction is made in the regis
tration Of deaths in Philadelphia. but the mortality
among these infants is fearful Dr. Frazer OF Glasgow ia
of the opinion that but few Of them survive" In my
of age since 1854 the births each year the Phadel
pha hospital have averaged 26 and OF these l8 were
hospital is not Unfortunately large, but many are
boarded ont, and almost all of these, or fully
deaths among this class of infants result from neglect
aud deficient nutrition one Sd Two COURSE ei IL PbnSdeu
criminal TO delegate the care OF their children
cRiId. The percentage of inquests on children under
one old has increased since 1863 having attained 70
opinion of the COrOners Physician that large proper
ton Of these misunderstanding is to sa about 100
infants are murdered every year in Philadelphia Many
children die from want OF medical attention some leg
ilatiye action Is needed upon e suyest S ~ care
less and heartess parents have neglected TO procure
medical advice until the children were past all hope OF
The report of the Board Of Health states that in 1870
10 infants died OF asphyxa; 457 of convulsion 1873 OF
debility; pa Of inanitiOn. and s22 were stubborn
These are all exceedingly questionable expressions Inc
number Of stubborn children Is not greater than the
average, and the percentage when compared with an
the births Is 295 less than that recorded III the hadel
PIMA hospital Many cases OF lnItnuclde, no~e.S 9
probably never known 10 the coroner for the
bodies thrown down cess-poos eulyeTts, &C. where
they are never discovered Besides tIeSe COUNTESS
children sacrificed before they see the light OF day;
doned infants admitted to the Pladephia hospital,
where they well clothed and fed The mix gwen 10
wear. aB of these waits were admitted; these l62
died destroyed, 81 were adopted, ana tle re-
amin I ara oru1tt ed
this that 662 per cent Of all the inmates died The
centage OF deaths among the foundnes Is z uI mes
is not the worst aspect of the The 81 adopted
children Ia the ward for au average pc
from the estimate The mortality then reaches the
terrible proportion of 1921 per cent The fatality not
tions-7s per cent. dying from digestive arrangement
Had these children been under more favorable Greum
fault OF the management OF the hospital that so many III
fants wards. The hands OF the Board Of Guar
dams are tied by the inhuman action OF City Councils
Though $4,000 were appropriated 10 the alInshouse
last year the average cost of maintaining patient
is epiy s. week This is only half the sum required
in ali other large and welleOnducted hospitals The
LOT higher than il is in those of NewYork when all the
circumstances considered aud in both cities 1t is
hardly lower than II was In Europe during the latter
part OF the last century and the beginning Of this The
causes of death in infant asylums are, Q the want
many Infants in one more confined apartments
The first cause Is an exGeedlngy important one as
shown by the statistics OF all I1udlg hospitals where
the infants dry-nursed Infants thus treated have
life h passed Partial wet-nursing will not entirely
viatc This difficulty No substitute Tor he natural food
when tho Infants are raised in large cities In the
try good cows milk may answer very well Dut III clles
thew are wetuur,ed There is always an unpleasant
odor hanging about the ward where large number OF
apartmeut clean and well ventilated Then these lfants
are only compelled 70 use ARTIFICIAL iood put neS
These facts are strongly opOSI no bnita The expe.
wisdom OF estaDs1g ioudhg n4 3S1pSIv against The