Evening star., 1909-07-11
TO SAVE THE BABIES
Academy of Medicine Takes
Up Their Battle.
GREAT CONGRESS PLANNED
Infant Mortality To Be Studied in
All It's Phases.
DEATH LIST IS APPALLING.
Statistics of Great Cities Arouse Doc
tors to Acknowledging to Be
Held in New Haven.
DEATH LIST IS APPALLING.

And now the babies are to have a show.
Their right to life and to all that pro-
notes health in the way of favorable en-
vironment and of favorable physical. men,
tai and moral inheritances is TO be made
, the subject of a campaign by the Amer
lean Academy of Medicine
As an initial step in the movement q
| conference is to be held in New Haven
next November. al which leading phys-
clans. sociologists and educators from all
parts of the country will join forces in a
study of the problem. The general sub
ject of the conference will be The Pre-
vention of Infant Mortality" and the
four aspects under which it will be con-
sidered are the medical, philantlropic, in
stitutional and educational.
DR.. James H. Mason Knox, jr.. of the
Johns Hopkins Medical School. Baltimore,
is chairman of the section on medical pre-
vention, and DR.. Richard A. Urquhart.
also of Baltimore. is secretary of the sec
| ton. Such topics as congenital debility.
improper care and environment, Commu-
| nicable diseases. and the dangers which
arise from unhealthful surroundings, un-
cleanly or unsuitable food will have the
right of way in this section. Edward T.
Devine. editor of the Survey, formerly
Charities and the Commons; DR.. Schiff,
professor of social economy of Columbia
University. New York, and one of the
best known social workers in the country,
is chairman of the section on philan-
thropic prevention; Homer Folks. seCre
tary of the New York State Charities Aid
Association, of that on institutional pre-
vention. and Prof c. E. A. Winslow of
the laboratory of sanitary research of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
that on educational prevention. The sec
retaries of these three sections are: Phil
anthropic. Miss Lillian Brandt of New
York institutional. Miss Mary Vida Clark
of New York. and educational. DIR. H. 1.
Bowdtch of Boston.
Slaughter of the Innocents.
That thousands upon thousands of chill
dren fall to get the chance just to keep
on living is proved every year by glance
at the mortality tables. The last figures
of the government reports available are
those of 1907 for the fifteen largest cities
in point of population in this country.
They show that during the single year
ending June 1, 1907 the number of deaths
of children under two years of age was
nearly 10000. New York city takes first
rank in this slaughter of the fnnocents
with 21,SS2 deaths out of a total of i9.o36
deaths of persons of all ages. Chicago
came next with 1881 out of a total NOR
tality of 81 1913. Philadelphia had 6.632
out of total mortality of 27,476: Balti-
more. 1914 out of 11.1S2, and Washing
ton :3;S9 out of a total mortality of 6343.
The New Haven conference is to be
held under the auspices of the American
Academy of Medicine, and DR.. Helen &.
Putnam of Providence, r. l., formerly
president of the academy, is chairman OF
the executive committee. Other MEM
bers of this committee are DR.. George
Blumer, professor of the theory and
practice of medicine of the Yale Medical
School: DR. f. H. Gerrish the distin-
guished surgeon of Portland. Me-; DR..
D. c. Hawley of Burlington. Vt; DR.: j.
Madison Taylor of Philadelphia. DR..
James H. Mcbride of Pasadena, CAL, the
newly elected president of the academy,
and DR.. Charles McIntire of Easton, Pa,
the secretary of the academy.
The Advisory Committee.
The members of the advisory commit
tee include Miss Jane Adams of Hull
House, Chicago. who has just been elect
ed president of the National Conference
of Charities and Correction; DIR. Charles
v Chaplin, superintendent of health.
Providence; Prof Irving Fisher of Yale
Pniversity, president of the committee
of one hundred on national health OF
the American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science; DR.. Laura Drake
Gill. president of the Association of COL
legiate Alumnae; DR.. Charles r. Hender-
son, professor of sociology of the Uni
versity of Chicago: DR.. l.. u. Harvey,
president of the National Educational
Association: Dr. Samuel McCune Lind
say, director of the New York School of
Philanthropy and professor Of social leg
isation, Columbia University; Mrs. Philip
y. Moore. president of the General Fed
Grafton of Women's Clubs Miss Adelaide
Nutting, director of the department OF
hospital economics. Teachers College,
Columbia University: Dr. Thomas Nor
gan Rotch, professor of pediatrics. Har-
ward University; Mrs. Frederick Schoff.
pre- sident of the National Congress of
Mothers: DIR. William T. Sedgwick, pro-
fessor of biology, Massachusetts lnsti-
tute of Technology. and DIR. Alice Weld
Taliant of the Woman's Medical College,
Pennsylvania.
All the problems which affect the life
and health of the little ones will be
touched upon in the section on education
al prevention. The sources of a citys
milk supply may be investigated first of
all for the sake of the babies health.
Sanitary conditions in the home, espe-
| cially in tenement houses and other
/ dwellings where sanitation is not the
| crowning thought of the inmates. will
also be looked into. and, in fact. every
| thing that has a bearing upon the life
| and health of little children will receive
| the careful thought of eminent scientists
| and others competent to deal with such
| matters.
| benefit to the babies and to the grown
! up folks well.