Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-26

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25-Babies
and school children held the attention
Of the Congress of Hygiene and De-
| biography in its session here today.
| A paper Of absorbing interest. deal
ing with infant mortality, was read by
| Edward Bunnel Phelps, editor Of The
American Underwater New York city
| The subject OF medical inspection for
public school children was taken up in
most able form by DR.. Helen McMur-
| chy, Of Toronto, Canada, and DR. Will
lard S. Small, principal of the Eastern
High school, Washington, D. c.
Editor Phelps made the interesting
statement that 55,00O,0o0 babies are
born into the world every year But,
on the other hand, 100000 Of them
die before they reach the age of one
year.
This means that about 10000 babies
die every day in the year, or on every
| other tick Of the clock an infant life
| goes out. To this terrible harvest of
infant lives the United States contrib
utes 1000 day
| There are the best of reasons for be-
| lieving," said Mr. Phelps, that at least
90 per cent of the worlds infant NOR
tality is readily preventable, and the
civilized countries are juet beginning to
awake TO that fact,
Crusade Making Rapid Progress.
THE present broad crusade for the
reduction Of infant mortality" added
| Mr. Phelps, 'da ties back scarcely five
years, and can now be regarded as lit
tie more than a promise of the whole
| sale movement which is to come. Three
| international congresses for the discus
sion Of the subject have already been
| held In Europe, q permanent interna-
| tional association with similar purposes
has been organized, and all hold out
great promise in France, Belgium, Ger
many, Holland Great Britain, the
United States and other countries. The
movement has made exceptional prog
ress In Germany.
Mothers should suckle their children
as God intended" declared DR.. William
! II. Davis, vital statistician OF the health
department of Boston, in the course of
an address.
"Of babies reaching the age of two
dies before year old If bottle fed
while If breast fed only one in 80 fails
to reach the one-year mark This means
| that the death of these infants would
be 60 per cent less than they are today
IL all babies were breast fed"
DR.. Davis said the women OF Norway
and Sweden suckle their babies when
ever possible, and for that reason those
two countries have the lowest rate of
infant mortality of any countries In the
world
The hookworm was the chief topic
discussed late yesterday. The ravages
that this pest has made in Porto Rico
and the effective campaign the United
States has made against II, was de-
| soribed by DR. Bailey X. Ashford, man
ager of the medical corps of the United
States army at San Juan, Porto Rico,
in an interesting address.
WIplna HooIc~orm Out
Dr. Ashford said the Porto Ricans
had been exposed to the ravages of
the hookworm for centuries. but since
the United States government had
taken hold of the island this strange
pest had been practically eradicated. |
The physical condition of the Porto |
Ricans, said the doctor, is now so per
cent better than when the government |
began its campaign against the hook |
worm about seven years ago
Since 1904 over 300 900 victims of the |
hOokworm have been treated in Porto |
Rico, and with complete success. There |
remains about 100000 more to be treat |
ed, but these cases are not aggravated. |
Dr. Ashford took up the material !
benefit that has accrued to the Island |
of Porto Rico because of this highly |
successful campaign against the hook
worm. He estimated that the COM !
merce Of the island had increased at
least 400 per cent because of the en-
ergy and activity of the native laborers
after they had been relieved of the
hookwor1n disase.
Talking on the subject OF "Slgnifi-
canoe of Physiological Age in Educa-
ton" DIR. G. Ward Champion, director
Of physical training in the New York
public schools, delivered an impressive
| address to the congress. DIR. Cramp-
| ton held that physiological develop
ment rather than actual age should be
the standard of classification in the
case of school children.
From birth to maturity" he said,
children develop at different rates
some outstripping others in the race
so that we find at the age of fourteen
about third who are already quite
men and women, one third In transit
tion period, and one-third quite I'M
mature The difference between the
mature and the immature is so marked
that 1t IS astonishing" declared DR..
Crompton, that the idea OF separat-
| ing them for educational purposes has
never occurred to our school authori-
ties The mature group are from so to
so per cent heavier 80 to so per cent
| stronger and 10 to 10 per cent taller
than the immature group of the same
| age
The mental abilities show even a