The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-12
USE OF MILK AND
HE DEATH RAT -,
Striking Facts Adduced BY Recent Inyestiga-
tons Bearing on This
Subject.
Steps Taken Lately BY Various Large Cities to Protec
Their Milk Supply From Aduteraton and Con
tamination---Good Results Obtained Under
System Adopted in Rochester, Effect on
the Infant Death Rate
By VALANcHY E. FULLER Editor Of the American Darvman

Infant mortality Is appalling. espe-
cialiy in large cities, and this mortality
Is greatly decreased or Increased by q
pure or impure milk supply.
It has been asserted that the average
death rate during the first year Of life Is
1SS out OF every 1000 children; In the
rural and suburban districts itlis always
lower than In the towns and cities. In
the former, the average Is: England,
141.s; France, 223; and in Italy. 273.3.
The last available statistics give the
deathrate of infants under one year per
thousand births as follows: Chementz,
4sO ST. Olave, s6O; Paris, 2oO New York,
l6l; Washington, D. c., Isl, and Balti-
more. 2G6, 1t would appear that from
onc-siNth to one-quarter OF the infants
born into the world In some OF the large
cities OF the United States die before
they reach the age OF one year. The.
average death-rate all over the world Is
not In excess OF one-sixth OF those born.
Birth and hygienic surroundings have a
very important bearing on the death
rate According to Caspars statistics,
published in 1925, the mortality rate
among royal children was 81 per 1000.
MS compared with 345 per 1000 among
the infants OF the poor a better under
standing OF what constitutes n sanitary
milk, and education among both the rich
ana the poor as to how best to rear their
children, have materially reduced the
death rate. In Baltimore the, death-rate
of infants under one year per 1000 births
In 1900 was 1893; the average deatl-ra
Of colored infants was 532 for every 1000,
or over onc-half more than the white
Infants In the same city the infant
deatll-rate per 1000 for the past four
years was--colored All; white, cas-. In
Washington. D, c., the average rate for
the last five years Is: Colorcd, 800 per
1000 births; white, l6S.
In the last five years the health authors
tiles of tho large cities have put forth
strenuous efforts to furnish more sani-
tary milk, and to teach the poorer classes
how to administer 1t to infants, and how
to care for the infants themselves prop
crly. That the death-rate of Infants
under one year has been materially de-
creased Is shown by contrasting the
death-rate Of infants under ono year per
1000 births IN the different years. as
follows; 1900, New York l73 deaths. 1904.
deaths. 1904, 1Sl deaths; Baltimore. in
which city less attention has been paid
to the hctterment Of the milk supply
1900 SO3 deaths 1904, 2G6 deaths. That
the oolored population have benefited
equally by an Increased knowledge OF
milk, and of how to properly care for
their infants, Is demonstrated BY the
infant death-rate. per ! 900 births, Wash
ington, ID. c., which was Sa7 IN 1900 ns
compared with 274 in 1901; and IN I'alli-
more, Bag deaths In 1900 as compared
with S9l In 1904
Rochester's Excellent System.
frhe city OF Rochester,, N. " estap-
sllshcd a central farm station for the PRO.
ductlon of clean, pure and consequently