The Washington herald., 1910-07-11
THE BATTLE FOR THE BABIES
Their Chance for Life Improving All
Over the World.

The baby that is born IN Buenos Ayres
has a better chance Of living than II Il
had been born in any other Of the worlds
large cities. In Amsterdam It would find
figures more in its favor. but Amsterdam
is not so big a town
In the United States. Boston has been
the best place to be born II you want 10
stand a good chance OF living 70 be at
least a year old. In thirty years Boston
has not averaged one death out OF five
babies born during the year.
Back In 1859 II came close 10 that aver
age. when 1s4 infants less than year old
died in every l.0oo. But in 1887 there were
less than 190 in 1891 the number went be-
low 49, In 1888 Il passed the 10 mark. in
1886 the l60 mark. n 1888 the $50 mark.
and in 1903 It sank abruptly TO Us per
1000.
New York is making a record it may
well be proud Of" says the American
Baby. although its starting point In 1850
was at 2os. Compare with that the record
for Is0s. ~, and bear 70 the babies the
message OF hope. Philadelphia began IN
1900 with 173. diminishing this by 1897 to
l5s. And Western cities. too; 81 Louis IS
very low. and Chicago, admitting herself
10 be high, is promising important reduc-
tons
In England, as a whole, with Wales
included, the infantile mortality rate was
l55 per 100 births In 1900: that Of London
l54: In Scotland the rate ran above 15a.
and in Ireland little higher. In the same
year in Boston il was lf7. BY 1907 Eng
land and Wales had declined to lis Lon
don had gone as low as us; Scotland was
down 20 12s. and Ireland, doing not quite
so well. was at III. In all OF these there
are sensible and important gains for the
baby.
How IS II IN Germany? Always the
same good news. Berlin down from go
deaths per 100 births In 1899 TO 1l2 IN
1907. Vienna from ls6 to 144, Budapest from
i67 TO 155. Cologne from Isl 20 is5, while IN
Russia, Moscow has declined in the same
years from as TO 2Ss. II is true that the
Russian figures are high, but there Is the
fact OF the same good work In progress.
There is In Europe hardly an important
city In the Teutonic OF Slavonic countries
without sensible decline. slowly, Konigs-
berg. for example. from 945 20 es.
In French-speaking countries the news
for the baby is most excellent, for Paris
In 1899 was really leading the world az
only 10, and by 1901 had decreased TO lo4
with Nice close second at lis 10 los
Bordeaux and Amsterdam have made
striking Improvements IN the stated tina
from lS3 TO 81 and from 100 TO So, respec-
lively, their rating placing them among
the worlds lowest rate cities.
In Marseilles, a port where it is usually
very difficult TO control vital conditions.
the tide has set the other way, and the
mortality OF babies Is greater than ten
years ago Marseilles comes within the
Mediterranean district, the one that gives
the least encouragement to-day, for.
whether through stricter legislation or
greater actual loss. IN Rome, NapIes. Pal
ermo, Genoa, and Florence the rate TO-
day Is rising.
AS TO other great cities IN the world.
Tokyo, with reduction from 2ls in 1889
TO 13S In 1907. is in the class with Ameri-
can cities, while Kioto Is better still and
compares very closely with Boston. Rio
de Janeiro started high at 2lI, and has
reduced its rate to 159, while Buenos
Ayres rejoices In the lowest rate for
large city. constantly below 1O0~