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

milk dfspensarieS were soon eStaD-
Iished in the British Isles. One OF the
! first undertakings of the sort in TINS
country was opened by DR.. Henry
Koplik in New York City in 1889, and
in 1898 Nathan Straus established the
first of his depots for the distribution
of pasteurized milk. For several years,
the New York Milk committee of the
Association for Improving the Condi-
ton of the Poor, has conducted con-
situations for mothers and has carried
on an important campaign Of education
as part of the work at the milk
depots. During the present summer,
~ milk dispensaries have been in
operation in Greater New York, I'M
der the auspices of various philan'
thropies.
DR.. George w. Goler, head of the de-
partment Of health of Rochester, y. Y.
pioneered the movement among health
officers in this country and the
Rochester milk depots were the 1lrst
municipal depots in the United states
In the first 10 years of their existence
the summer death rate for that city OF
children under 5 years OF age was cut
down so percent.
Other cities have adopted the con-
sultation and the milk dispensary as
means of reducing their infantile death
rate and according to the latest staus"
tics reported by the United States pup"
lie health and marine hospital service,
milk depots are operated IN ABOUT oo
cities in the United States. Only few
are conducted under the auspices OF
local health departments; the majority
are supported by private philanthropy
Cutting the Death Rate.
In spite of the fact that the major
ity of the children who are suppneo
with milk from the dispensary are SICK
when first carried to the milk depotsr
in practically every instance. the es-
adjustment of the milk depots mas
been followed by a reduction in the
infant death rate. The babies milk
disnensarv of Baltimore, which
was established by the THOMAS Wilson
sanitorium for children in 1900 and
which has been conducted since 1914
by the Babies Milk Fund association,
reports that the death rate among the
babies supplied with milk by the ASSOC
| citation and looked after by the nurses
! is so percent less than the general
death rate among babies throughout
the CITY. The Boston Milk and Baby
Hygiene association cared for aboSs
one-tenth of the Boston baby popula-
| ton. last summer, and points with
pride to the fact that the death rate
during the worst months of the year,
was nearly SO Is percent lower amona
those babies than among the other
nine-tenths not reached by the milk
stations.
The number of infants milk depots
/ in other parts of the world is legion,
There are more than 100 in the French
provinces They are to be found in
every corner of the universe. from Ant
werp and St. Petersburg in the north
of Europe to Algiers i'll Africa, on
the other side of the hemisphere, and
from Toronto to Buenos Aires OF .his
side Of the globe
International Congresses.
Spurred to the study of means Of
preventing infant mortality by de-
cIining birth rate and a very heavy
death rate. France was not only the
leader in undertakings designed to
reduce the infant death rate, but was
the first country to call an interna-
tional conference on the subject The
French congress was held in 1905, and
two years later the international or
SANITATION met in Brussels. The third
international congress on Prevention
of Infant Mortality will be held in
September, 1911, in Berlin, under the
patronage of the German empress. On
the invitation of the secretary general
of the Berlin congress, the American
Association for Study and Prevention
of Infant Mortality will arrange Tor
the adequate representation Of Amer
lean undertakings.
England. like Germany, has taken
up the subject with characteristic
thoroughnesS. a year after the French
congress had attracted the attention
Of foreign governments TO methods
employed in France, a national con-
ference was held in London under the
patrona ge of the king and queen a
second conference, also under royal
patronage. took place in 1908 The
first conference of the sort in this
country was held last November at
Yale university by the American AGA
denny Of Medicine, and the American
Association for Study and Prevention
Of Infant Mortality was organized as
result Of this meeting. The association
has Established headquarters in Balti'
more, from which its campaign Of edu>
cation has been directed.
The American Conference.
At the conference on Prevention of
Infant Mortality which will be held I'M
der the auspices of the American AsSo-
citation for Study and Prevention of
Infant Mortality, at Baltimore, next
November important contributions
will be made to the program by men
and women who have taken an active
part in the fight which has been car
babies The dominant notes Of the
meeting. according to the preliminary
program which has been sent out from
the headquarters of the association.
will be prevention" conservation"
and education" The work of health
officers and sanitarians will be con.
sidered in the session Oh municipal
state and federal prevention, of which
Dr. William II. WEIGH, of the Johns
Hopkins Medical school, is chairmani
milk dispensaries, classes for mothers,
the activities of visiting nurses and OF
similar undertakings viii be reported
upon in the session on philanthropic
prevention. of which DR.. Hastings II
Hart. director Of the department of
child helping, of the Russell Sage foun
dation, is chairman; medical prevention
will be the subject or the session over
which DR.. L. Emmett Holt, professor
of the diseases of children. of Column
bia university will preside; and pre-
venticn by better training for parent
hood will be discussed at the session
on educational prevention, of which
DR.. Helen c. Putnam, of Providence.
r. I. the head of the committee APP
pointed by the American Academy Of
Medicine, to investigate the teaching
of hygiene. will be chairman. The
president of the association is DR.. J.
IA1,~