Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-24

able charity by establishing free milk
dispensaries In New York city, a move
ment that was recommended as
worldwide policy at the second Inter-
national Pure Milk congress at Brussels
last fall, fifteen years after the first
experiment had been made. Now from
Mr.. Strauss laboratories or depots about
100000 bottles and 1.225.o0O glasses of
milk are distributed every season.
Only three municipalities are on rec
ord as bearing the expense OF their
milk depots. Rochester. N. r, start
ed the work in 1897, and now supports
five through July and August, keeping
trained nurse on the farm and one at
each dispensary. Cincinnati established
two last year to run in summer
months and. Jersey City opened 1--WE
last year to run all through the year.
Cambridge. Mass. has five summer
depots that are now two years old and
that are supported by 8 combination Of
private philanthropy and public APP
preparation. Philadelphia, Cleveland.
Chicago. Baltimore, Columbus Tole-
do and Boston all have depots that
are open the year round In adj
dition to greater number In
most of these that are open In sum-
mer. Chicago leads in the number of
depots, having twenty eight In all and
round Yonkers. Pittsburg, st. Louis,
Cambridge, Providence. Kansas City
and New Bedford keep summer sta
tions.
The support that Is not municipal
comes from various sources, Individ-
uals contribute literally; chiidren's hos
pital societies make this an integral
part of their work. Babies milk funds
are clubs that are not fads, but rep
resent a wide and commendable phil
anthropy. Medical associations, nurses
clubs and pure milk commissions are
leading contributors. Every depot has
either trained nurse or a physician
In charge, and milk modified to suit
the needs of each special infant may
be prescribed and medical advice given
when needed. st. Louis distributes
each season 100000 bottles of two. four,
five, seven and eight ounce sizes; To-
ledo, 1000 quarts a season; Kansas
City, 1900 quarts month; Yonkers,
60 quarts daily; Rochester, 5000 to 1000
quarts each summer In nursing bottles;
Chicago. 3s4.l26 bottles every nine me
months; Philadelphia. over 100000
bottles every nine months; and Balti-
more. over 1000 bottles. daily.
The plan inaugurated in various
cities to educate the mothers Of small
babies Is comprehensive and In most
instances Is already having telling re-
suits. In Washington as soon as q
birth Is reported the District hoard of
health sends to the mother o simply
worded pamphlet telling how an in
FAINT should be cared for and Offering
simple rules that any one can follow.
Rochester keeps card for each baby
and nurses encourage the mothers to
refer to this card. In Chicago, where
from one-fifth to one-third of all ba-
bies die before reaching the second
year OF their life, the board Of health
has for the past twelve years distrib-
uted pamphlets on Infant Feeding,"
printed In English, Bohemian, German.
Yiddish. italian, Polish and Swedish
languages. So good were these Chioa-
go pamphlets that the Indianapolis
board of health bought a great number
for free distribution. One admonition
that must 20 with all directions sent
to the slums Is that mothers must not
feed solid food to their babies--a gem
eral practice among the ignorant,
philadelphia health authorities issue.
circulars directing the care. diet and
clothing Of babies In the summer ana
private philanthropies distribute free
Ice to sick babies. A plan favored by
many cities is that of gathering every
week in a convenient church, settle
ment house or school. building about
twenty-five mothers and have volunteer
nurses and physicians lecture to them
on the proper feeding and dressing OF
their babies. 1t Is suggested that the
babies be brought to these conferences
and be weighed each week to see IL
each has gained Its regulation four
ounces, while practical demonstration
in the sterilizing and modifying of milk
will be given.
The world has been Watching with
interest the work done at Client. Bel
gium This is a great factory town
where there are no trained nurses and
no hospitals for children and where the
majority Of the women and girls are
factory workers. A society OF Social
lists found seven years ago that the
the 1000. They opened milk depots
where modified milk was had at cost
or given free, where mothers could
come and bring their babies for free
treatment. where young girls We're
trained as nurses and regular illustrat-
throughout the year. The best moth
ers are now delegated as visiting
mothers to those who are ignorant In
the care of children. and the death rate
has gone down to per cent, after hav-
ing been reduced to 81 per cent In the
first year. Over 400 babies have been
raised entirely by this club.
In oldcn times 1t was believed that
the death of many infants was inevi-
table. Modern science denies this most
emphatically and the shibboleth Of the
times is "Save the babies" This is to
be done chiefly through the food. Tu-
berculosis. intestinal troubles and ty-
phoid are spread to their millions
through the milk given babies. When
It Is recalled that the laws Of Dem
mark protect hogs and milk-fed cattle
from tuberculosis by requiring that the
milk be sterilized 1t seems to be blow
have so long delayed doing this for the
babies Of the land.
Copyright. 1908, by Frederic J. Haskin>.