Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1911-12-01
otR INFANT POPULATION.


ON almost every hand there Il
constantly % BE- seen indication OF
the new appreciation that the infant
death rate II unnecessarily large, The
whole civilized world Ia benefiting BY
course OF education upon the prop.
~ care OF babies less than one year
oid. Typical 81 the advanced
thought on this subject IL the action
OF the club women ~ Iowa, who have
selected woman doctor 60 60 TO
Europe for a years study In the sell
cnce Of raising more perfect babies.
IN order that upon her return she
may give them. and through them
the state. the henefi, OF her observa.
tions. The club women OF Iowa also
have arranged perfect baby con-
tests. 10 be held throughout the state
during the coming year. We are
constantly reading of similar move
mentH for tina bettenmcnt Of condl-
lions surrounding Infancy.
In this connection Il Is interesting
10 note the observations OF recog-
nixed authority on infant mortality
DIR Emmet L. Holt. president elect
of the American Association for the
Prevention Of Infant Mortality--pub.
iished recently in ths New York
Evening Post.
Dr. Holt states that there II q
steady decrease In the death rate
among infants under one year of age.
Taking New York city as typical. he
says the infant death rate there Is
about one-hnif what u would have
been had the old conditions OF a.
couple OF generations ago prevailed.
DIR. Holt praises modern saritatlon
and preventive medicine as the two
greatest agencies effcctlng this de-
crease. but he belieys that In the
whole range Of preventive medicine
there In no field which opens wider
possibilities than the means which
may be employed TO reduce infant
mortality. our civilization IL stIll In
sore need. says ne. OF better eap-
Gated profession. more well-informed
nurses. ana above all an aroused pub
lie, Deaths Of babies under one
year Of age form twenty-five per cent
Of all the deaths In those civilized
countries whore statistics are obtain
able. Nor has the death rate de-
creased In all communities. Ere
qucntly its apparent decrease is due
20 nothing but n smaller birth rate.
Infancy itself In the fundamental
reason OF infant deaths. he says, but
poverty. Ignorance and neglect are
also primary causes. Poverty results
IN had housing and overcrowdlng. ig-
norance of simple facts OF hygiene.
with the use Of bad milk and other
Improper foods. is factor Of Ina
mense importnnce--perhaps more inn
portant than neglect due 10 vice or
intemperance 81 the parents.
The ms1ority OF deaths among In
sants are due not 20 lnheren, but to
accidental and. therefore. preventable
causes. The statistics OF the English
surgeon. ". G. Clay. show that in
England the mortality In arlstocratic
families il ten per cent during the
first year Of infant life; In the middle
classes twenty-one per cent. and IN
laborlng classes thirty-iwo per cent.
Or. Holt asserts that there is e
criminal ignorance in a large part of
the profession and among nurses. Al
present scarcely half a dozen med
Teal schools IN the country possess an
independent department OF diseases
Of children, rays he. The reeosni-
ton OF the Chains OF this department
have been tardy but there are signs
that IL Is coming NJ last