Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-29
DEATH AMONG INFANTS.
The Medical Board of st. Ann Call At
tentiOn to Some Conditions.

tentiOn to Some Conditions.
The superintendent of charities today for
warded to the Commissioners the following
report from the medical board OF st. AIMS
Infant Asylum relative to the mortality Of
the institution:
In regard to the report Of Mr.. Lewis of
the board Of children's guardians concern
ing the mortality rate among the infants at
st. AIMS Infant Asylum. we respectfully
call your attention to the following state
ment: 1t Is fact well known to all statis-
ticians that the mortality among the infants
under one year of age is large; this is true
of all classes and races being greatest, of
course, in densely populated cities and
among their poor. This death rate is espe-
cially heavy among foundlings. and for very
obvious reasons: they are generally the Off
spring of vicious or diseased parents bring
ing with them into the world their only in
heritance-a diseased and debilitated consti-
tuition. Objects Of neglect or desertion from
birth, 1t is no wonder so many perish in a
few months.
Each race has it's own rate Of mortality.
and in this city 1t is the custom Of the
health office to tabulate their vital Stats
tics. so that the death rate among the
white and colored population may be COM
pared. There is, as you well know, a con-
siderable difference between their death
rates and in favor of the whites, and this
difference is marked among infants under
one year Of age During the last seventeen
years in the District of Columbia 26.4 per
cent Of the total deaths were infants I'M
der one year Of age or. according to race,
PA per cent of the whites, and 321 per
cent of the cOlored decedents were infants
under one year; this infant mortality. OF
course, increases during the summer
months, and has been as high as 1871 per
cent of the total white mortality and All
per cent OF the colored.
Not Peculiar to This City.
From newspaper prominence given ia
this subject, the uniformed reader might
be misled into concluding that this heavy
mortality was peculiar to Washington and
it's founding institutions. This is not SO,
for it unfortunately exists in all large cities
the world over and a comparison of the
statistics Of ST. AIMS with similar institu-
tions would show that it is below the high
average.
st. AIMS has no choice in its patients. il
cannot prescribe any physical standard &C
cording to which infants may be accepted
or refused, nor does it use any discrimina-
ton in regard to race, but receives all that
are brought. Many Of these infants are
picked up by the police or brought in by the
agents of the Humane Society, which
would imply desertion, neglect and poor
physical condition, and, indeed, they show
such marked signs of debility. either hered
itary or acquired. that it is evident thai
their lives are but for few days.
A table was given showing the number OF
deaths, both white and colored, at st
AIMS during the year ending December
81, 1888: also the age at admission and the
time elapsing between admission and
DEATH
You will observe continues the report
from this table that of the whole number
OF deaths 400 per cent occurred within fif-
teen days from entrance, G5.3 per cent Oc-
CURED within one month from entrance
81 rer cent occurred within two months
from entrance; or. separating the deaths
according to race-Of the whites 3S.4 pei
cent. and Of the colored 45.4 per cent &C.
CURED within fifteen days; of the whites
6S.4 per cent and of the colored To- pei
cent occurred within one month: of the
whites I5 per cent and of the colored 95
per cent occurred within two months. The
average of the decedents was sixty days
at entrance while that of the colored was
but thirty-seven days. We feel that we
have shown that, owing to the physical
condition and environment of most OF
these infants previous to admission. OuI
mortality rate is not excessive"
The report is signed by III. NJ. Newman
M. D., president, and ]. Yarnall, secretary