Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-07-23
TO SAVE THE BABIES
Academy of Medicine TO Handle
the Question.
GREAT CONGRESS PLANNED.

Meeting to Be Held In New Haven.
Infant Mortality to Be Studied In All
Its Phases-The Death List Is Most
Appalling.
And now the babies are TO have
show. Their right To life and to all
that promotes health In the way of
favorable environment and Of favor
able physical. mental and moral in
heritances is to be made the subject of
campaign 10y the American Academy
OF Medicine.
As an initial step In the movement a
conference Is To he held in New Haven
next November, at which leading ply
siclans. sOclologists and educators
from all parts OF the United States
will Join forces In study Of the prob
lem. The general subject of the con.
ference will be "The Prevention OF In
FAINT Mortality" and the four aspects
under which II will be considered are
the medical. philanthropic, institutional
and educational.
Dir. James II. Mason Knox, Jr., Of
the Johns Hopkins Medical school,
Baltimore, is chairman of the section
on medical prevention, and Or. Rich
ard A Urquhnrt, also Of Baltimore, Is
secretary of the section. Such topics
as congenital debility, improper care
and environment. communicable dis
eases and the dangers which arise
from unhealthful surroundings and un-
cleanly or unsuitable food will have
right OF way I'm this section. Edward
II. Devine, editor OF the Survey, for
merly Charities and the Commons,
Schiff professor OF social economy Of
Columbia university, New York, and
one OF the best known social workers
in the United States. is chairman of
the section on phianthropic preven-
tion; Homer Folks, secretary Of the
New York State Charities Aid asso-
citation, OF that on institutional pre-
vention, and Professor c. +. A. Wins
low OF the laboratory of sanitary re
search of the Massachusetts Institute
OF Technology that on educational pre-
vention
Slaughter Of the innocents.
That thousands upon thousands Of
children fail to get the chance Just to
keep on living Is proved every year by
a glance at the mortality tables. The
last figures OF the government reports
available are those of 1907 for the fif-
teen largest cities in point Of popula-
1ion In the United States. They show
that during the single year ending
June I, 1907. the number Of deaths of
children under two years OF age was
nearly G0,0OO. New York city took
first rank in this slaughter of the In
nocents with 81 $50 deaths out of a
total of 1906 deaths of persons of all
ages. Chicago came next with 1881
out Of total mortality of 81, 1873
Philadelphia had 6,632 out Of a total
mortality of 27,476. Baltimore 1914
out of 1l.1S2 and Washington 1889
out of n total mortality of 6,343.
The New Haven conference is to be
held under the auspices of the Amer
lean Academy of Medicine, and Dr.
Helen c. Putnam OF Providence, X. l.,
formerly president of the academy. Is
chairman of the executive committee
Other members of this committee are
Dr George Blumer, professor of the
theory and practice of medicine OF the
Yale Medical school; DR.. f. II. Gerrish,
the distinguished surgeon of Portland.
Me-; DR.. d. G. Hawley of Burlington.
H., yI pf n
delphia; Dr. James II. Mcbride of
Pasadena, Cal, the newly elected
president of the academy, and Dr.
Charles McIntire of Easton, Pa, the
secretary of the academy.
The members of the advisory com
mittee include Miss Jane Adams or
Hull House, Chicago, who has just
been elected president Of the national
conference of charities and correc-
ton; DR.. Charles V. Chaplin, superin-
tendent of health. Providence; Profess
or Irving Fisher of Yale university,
president of the committee Of one hun
dred on national health of the Amer
lean Association For the Advancement
of Science; DR.. Laura Drake GIL,
president of the Association OF Col
legiate Alumnae; Dr. Charles r. Hen
derson, professor of sociology of the
University of Chicago, and several
others.
Problems to Be Considered.
All the problems which affect the
life and health of the little ones will
be touched upon in the section on edu-
cational prevention. The sources of a
city's milk supply may be Investigated
first of all for the sake of the babies
health. Sanitary conditions in the
home, especially in tenement houses
and other dwellings where sanitation
is not the crowning thought Of the in
mates, will also be looked into, and, In
fact. everything that has a bearing
upon the life and health of little chill
dren will receive the careful thought
OF eminent scientists and Others COM
petent to deal with such mTtters.
The outcome cannot fail to be of
vast benefit to the babies and to the
grownup folks as well.