El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-09-03

.aThe black summer Of 191O"-thus it
will go down in history according to
the statisticians of infant MORTALITY
The infant death rate in the big cities
this summer surpassed that OF any
year since the full record mas Deen
kept
But black as the record has been
in New York alone in one WEEK 90
little lives were swept out OF eAlsCence
it would have been much worse IL II
were not for the work done oy the
babies life saving stations throughout
the country In addition 10 what mas
been done by visiting nurses ana PR
vate philanthropy in the maintenance
OF babies clinics and consultations
and in securing supplies or pure, cream
milk for the babies who are artl1lclalI'
fed, q number of health depar tIlen nus
notably those of New YORK. Phlla-
delphia and Chicago. have carried Oh
carefully organized campaigns OF pre-
vention.
Earlv last spring the work was be-
gun by conferences held by the heaItn
DEPARTMENT officers with representa-
tives of ell the agencies which oeai
with either the mother or BABY, anu
definite plans of action were mapped
out Physicians, health inspectors ana
visiting nurses were assigned to cover
were stationed at milk dispenSarles
and babies clinics; the cooperation OF
street cleaning gangs was secured; ana
recreation piers, floating hospitals,
tent hospitals, on roofs or in vacant
lots were opened in an organized
effort to keep the babies we'll
In consequence of the work done IN
some of its crowded districts, Phila-
deIphia was able to show very con-
he Ia
of July, when the heat was especially
intense, though the general rate OF In
FAINT mortality was so percent higher
than for the corresponding week OF
last year. in the four districts upon
which special effort was concentrated
the increase was only Z percent
League of Little Mothers.
One of the features of these CAM
paigns of prevention has been the edu-
cation of the mothers in the essentials
of infant hygiene and infant feeding
And this plan of education has in
cluded not only the actual mothers OF
the babies of the tenements, but the
thousands of little foster mothers who
are literally their sisters and brothers
keepers. Lessons and practical demon
strations on live babies of the beS
ways to fed and battle and care fol
their little charges were given in the
physicians and trained nurses, and
continued during the hot days of the
summer at the recreation piers and
the summer Fairgrounds.
AS a result of these lectures, what
is known as the League of Little
Mothers was organized among the
little foster mothers of New York City.
And though the name does not appear
in the register of the General Fedora.
Il, 0f o1r7 or he
of the Congress of Mothers, the new
organization bids fair to revolutionize
conditions some of these days. The
health department supplies the certifi-
Gates of membership in the league, and
the socalled gold" or silver" badges
worn by the leaguers, but membership
IN the clubs is purely voluntary. In
cidentalIy the badge carries with 1t the
privileges of a combination of police
and missionary duty to the ignorant
or indifferent mothers of larger
growth privilege which the Little
Mothers exercise with great enjoy
ment.
Educating the Children.
Letters written by some Of these
little mothers to imaginary friends, in
an impromptu examination held by the
physician ct one of the schools early
this month, showed a surprising grasp
of the question. The dealy germs that
Turk in ice cream, the dangers OF
watermelon or other fruits as a food
for the baby were discussed with
gravity which might have been as
sumed by a medical student in the
last year of his course The letters
showed that the little mothers not
only took the instruction seriously, but
their accounts of their experiences as
missionaries to the untaught older
mothers proved that they could be
counted on as some of the most effec-
tive crusaders in the fight against in
FAINT mortality. Best of all, the teach
ing Of the little mothers has a double
effect It is not only educating the
foster mothers Of today; it is begin
ming the training Of the real mothers
OF a few years from now.
How the Movement Started
In spite of its up-to- dateness in
other matters, our own country as
whole. has been somewhat slow in
realizing that since the babies of this
generation are the material out Of
which the citizens of tomorrow are
made, it is common sense economy to
see that they have q fair chance to
grow to healthy maturity. In the
movements now becoming worldwide
for the protection of infant life, France
has the distinction of having led the
way. The name which stands out most
prominently on the French role of
honor in this connection, is that of DR..
Budin, the leader in the plan for the
conservation Of the health of the
babies through the education of the
mothers DR.. Budin's Consultations"
established in 1890 in connection with
his clinic at Nancy, and in 1892 in con-
nection with the Charlie hospital at
Paris, to which the mothers brought
their babies for weekly inspection and
advice, were the forerunners OF the
consultations now to be found wher-
ever there is carefully organized work
for the babies.
The Essentials.
Asked one day to define the essen
tials of a successful consultation. DR..
Budin replied the services of q de-
voted physician and pair of scales
In our own country and in practically
all others in which the French idea has
taken root, the trained nurse has been
added 10 the list of essentials. Since
the weight of the baby is such an inn
portant index to his physical condition,
II is easy to understand why the scales
figure so prominently in the equip
ment.
Following the establishment of the
Consultation, came the organization
about two years later by DR.. Variot
at Paris, and DR.. Dufour at Fecamp,