Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-10

4 LII phases of the problem will be
~ considered at the Conference for
"A the Prevention Of Infant Nor
tality which is to be held at New
Haven IN November by the American
Academy of Medicine. Special em-
phasis will be laid on the RESPONSE
bility of health officials for the en-
forcement of the laws which concern
the health of the community in gen.
eral, but of the babies in particular.
In this year of grace, 1909, and in
these enlightened United States, it is
startling to be told that less has been
done to give baby a chance to grow
up to healthy maturity than has been
done for the average calf. But cattle
have long been recognized as national
assets. They have a definite money
value so state and federal authorities
have enacted and enforced laws in their
behalf-laws which secure hygienic sur
roundings, intelligent care in feeding,
an abundance Of fresh air and sunlight,
and to a certain extent immunity
from preventable disease. That baby
Is worth anything In dollars and cents
to the community is new idea.
But the babies are coming into their
kingdom at last. On the continent of
Europe and in England royal commits
sions and other tremendously dignified
DOdTuS OF lHNeSIlBdIlOn nave DSSH
appointed to discuss ways and means
of looking out for their welfare. Here
in the United States we are going a
step farther We are beginning to con-
slider human beings-babies among
them-as a part of our national re-
sources. We have even gotten to the
point where we count them in with the
timber supply, the coal and other min
eral resources and the water supply, as
worthy of conservation.
In Professor Irving Fishers report on
national vitality recently prepared for
the national conservation commission
says a writer in the Herald-Republican
all humans, big and little, are given
fair showing and a financial rating. IN
the past, the estimates of political
economists, the reports of insurance
companies and of industrial concerns
have gratified the curiosity of anybody
who was interested in the money value
of the grown-up wage Garner. But
it is slightly different where the baby
is concerned. He has not figured ex-
tensiyely in the records. But. accord
ing to the conservation report, his or
her value, at BIRTH is S90 By the time
he has reached the age of hVe years
his net worth is $780, and by the time
he is thirty his value is $4,100. After
that his net value begins to decline,
and at fifty 1t is $4,000, while at eighty
It is 500. These figures represent the
capitalization Of the earning power OF
the individual. In the case of the baby
the 500 represents the discounted value
of his future earnings, taking into &C
count, also, the cost of the care given
him until he is able to look out for
himself, and the cost of the care which
NAV have to be accorded him in old
age. oo
1t is estimated that about 2,5OO,oOO
babies were born in the United States
last year, and that $4,000, or Is per
cent of that number, died within the
year. To find the value of dollars and
cents of this appalling loss of human
life you have only to multiply ~ py
Az 900. It amounts to $3,375.000. Add
to this an average of $25 apiece spent
for medical care and other attention
and you pile few more millions on
to the total loss.