The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-11-12
PHYSICIANS AND LAYMEN IN
NEW HAVEN TO DISCUSS IN.
FAINT MORTALITY.
MANY ABLE ADDRESSES
All Speakers Agree Motherhood Should
Be Protected From Overwork, Alec.
ho!ism and Long Hours Of Toll
Relationship Of Impure Milk to
Deaths Of the Young Elueidatsd.

New Haven. Conn, Now 11.-Prom-
inent physicians and laymen gathered
here today from all parts of the
country for the sessions of the con-
ference. beginning this afternoon, for
the prevention Of infant mortality. un-
Academy of Medicine. The meetings
will continue until Friday and the
medical. institutional. philanthropic
ami educational viewpoints Of the
topic will be given. DR.. ]. II. Mason
Knox. Jr. of Johns Hopkins univcr-
sity presided.
Addresses were made during the
day by Drs. Caroline Hedgcr and
Alice Hamilton, Chicago; J. p. c.
Griffith. ]. Madison Taylor and Alice
Weld Tallant. Philadelphia. G. Won
Pirquet. II. \. Urqnhart and II. NJ.
Knox, Jr.., Baltimore; Richard c.
Cabot. Boston: Sherman c. Kingley,
Chicago: Woods Hutchinson and Ida
$. Vile. New York. and Msssrs. L. 4.
Devine and II. w. Bruere. New York.
The Relation of Mothers. Occupa-
tions and Long Hours to Infant Nor
tality" was discussed in paper
presented by Caroline Hedger of the
United Charities of Chicago. DR..
Hedger quoted William Hard's state
ment that women are in industry to
stay. and since we cannot tomorrow
dismiss 100000 women from indus
trial occupations, some other solution
of this phase of the problem must be
considered. She gave figures from re-
ports of English and American inves-
tigators showing definite relation
between the child death rate and the
occupation of the mother. AS n means
OF obtaining exact knowledge that
would aid in the solution of the prob
lem she advocated "A more accurate
registration of births and other vitn
statistics. along with other data
which would be of value in getting
the key II the4 situation. III
In a paper cfnbodying the results
of a statistical study of 100 families
with regard to the number of chill
dren born and the number who died
i'm birth. i'm infancy or early child
hood. DR.. Alice Hamilton of Hull
House. Chicago. discussed the sub
ject of Excessive Child Bearing as
Factor in Infant Mortality" The
families selected were almost all
from the poorer. wage. earning class.
the parents being foreign born In all
but per cent. Grouped according
to nationalities. the lowest child death
rate was shown In the Jewish fam
lilies. with the American-born next.
The highest death rate was found in
the children of Italian parentage. with
the Germans. Irish and Slavs
ranging in between, in the order
named.
The Importance of breast feeding
was emphasized by DIR. j. Madison
Taylor of Philadelphia. in a paper
on 1.-The Curative Powers of Human
Milk" DIR. Taylor said tina, scien-
tific substitute infant feeding. pri-
marily boon. often proves peril.
Mothers. both rich and poor. too often
assume that II is just as well to
bring up the baby on the bottle. thus
imperilling life and health. and cspe-
cially right constitutional develop
ment. 1t has been shown. he declared
by physiological research that cura-
tive powers are present in the SER
um of milk. especially human milk.
which act in an uto-protective man.
ner.
All. bTuts bLSeu MS Statftuenl OH
the records Of the New York city de-
partment of health. He traced the
relation between impure milk and low
wages to the death rate. and declared
that a choice may be necessary be-
tween an increase in the family in
come and subsidy to the mother. on
one hand. and a municipal milk sup
ply on the other
DIR. Alice Weld Tallant. professor of
obstetrics at the Women's Medical
college of Pennsylvania, made a
strong plea for more general instruc-
ton of the mother in hygiene. The
training of the mothers In the proper
care of the babies would not only save