The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1909-11-03
Waste of Children'S Lives
About 200 600 Die Annually From Prevent
able Death Causes.

would be deceptive and unreliable.
THE possibility of great saving OF
human life during infancy and early
childhood Is emphasized by the esti-
mates made by Professor Irving Fish
err. on the basis OF independent medical
1 opinions. i'm his report on Nation II
Vitality TO the National Conservation
I Commission. as 10 the ratio of pre-
Variability (postponability), that Is,
ratio of preventable' deaths from
cause named to all deaths from cause
named for certain disease OF early life.
out OF every 100 deaths that oc-
cur from each disease in which the
median age at death is under 3 years,
there could be prevented the follow
ing numbers: Premature birth, 40
congenital debility 40: vcnereal dis
eases. 30; diarrhoea and enteritis. the
most important cause of infant NOR
tally. 60; measles. 40; acute bronchlt-
is. so; bronchopneumonia, so; whoop-
ing cough. 40: Group (Which means
/ diphtheria). rs; meningitis, 20; dis
eases of larynz other than laryngitis,
40; laryngitis 40; diptheria (under it's
proper appellatiom, 20: scarlcs fever,
so.
"Other diseases especially fatal to
infants and children would perhaps
show equally great ratios of prevent
ability; they do not appear i'm the
above list because their median ages
are above the limit chosen or because,
as is the case with commissions, they
are grouped with other and incongru-
Gus causes.
The possible saving of life for gen
eral. ill-dcfncd and unknown causes
including heart failure 'dropsy' and
COMMISSIONS median age 80 years. is
30 per cent. The median age of con
WILSON'S alone in less than one year
and IL is probable that at least the
ratio OF prcventability of diarrhoea and
enterltis go per cent? would apply
to il. The term is an indefinite one,
being expressive merely of the symp-
toms attending the true cause of
death; nevertheless no fewer than $3.50
deaths were compiled therefrom for
1908. although, i'm compilation. any
other definite cause is preferred The
term is no longer employed by well-in-
formed physicians i'm reporting causes
of death, and it is possible, by in
quiry made by the local registrar inn
medately after the receipt of this and
other unsatisfactory statements. to
practically eliminate them from the re-
turns as has lately been done for Chi
cago.
I'm the light of the figures quoted
above il would seem that practical
sanitation has only made beginning
i'm the work of preventing the occur
renee of infant and child mortality.
The ground has only been scratched
over. Deep stirring of the soil and
thorough cultivation of all the means
available with our present scientific
and medical knowledge, for the guard
ing of young human lives would pro-
duce startling, and from all past hui
man experience almost unbelievable.
results. Public health, as a function
of government, is itself only a crea-
ton of the middle part of the last
century. dating from the utilization of
the knowledge available as a result of
the operation of the English laws for
the registration of vital statistics
OS3O. Even in England, however. no
systematic efforts have been made UNI
til very recent years to utilize to their
utmost possibilities the facts already
known. The infant mortality of Eng
land was higher for the years 1896
to 1900 than for the years 1861 to
1865, and no marked reduction i'm the
early rates occurs until the present
decade.
ut is time that greater attention be
given to the subject in the United
States The prompt registration of all
births and the more careful and pre-
else statements of causes of death by
physicians are essential. Such terms
as commissions 'marasmus,' debii-
ty and the like should no longer be
tolerated when the true cause of death
can be determined"