The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-08-18
SAVING BABIES LIVES
By WILLIAM NJ. M'GRATH Secretary Birmingham Associated Charities

our almost entire lack of effective birth
 registrations"
 Dr. Greasy l.. Wilbur, in ais report of the committee on birth registration, says: Talk about registration of sirths
 in the United States, why, for not more
 than half 055.3 per cent) of the total popu- iation of the United States is there even fairly accurate registration of deaths alone. Many states make no more rec ords of the deaths of their people than if | they were cattle. Not even so much, for | blooded cattle have their vital events | ecorded, while human beings are thrown | into their graves without trace of legal | registration. The aegis of protective
 civilization should rest upon the individual | of American birth and the proper record
 hc made of the vital events of his life
 for his personal protection, legal use and for the most important sanitary informa-
 tion which can alone be obtained from Sucn records"
 In infant mortality record for 1908 reported by the United States census
 bureau, the author ranges the causes
 of death in the order of their prox- unity to birth. The total deaths in the registration area, under age of one year, was 136,432 Of these, 47,271 were
 classified as unfit" dying from pre-
 mature birth. malformation, injuries
 sustained at birth and syphilis Over
 2.000 are classified under the title of
 unexplained" such as convulsions and other ill defining causes. The bal
 ance of the number, over 76,000, caused
 by whooping cough. diarrhea, diseases
 of the mouth. suffocation, acute bron- chitis, diphtheria, scarlet fever and other similar disorders. Of these 76-
 900. over 37,000 deaths were caused by
 diarrhea, with the mortality concen-
 trated Into the warm months of the year.
 These figuressare appalling but when it Is realized that over 60 per cent of these 76,000 deaths were due to pre- ventable causes then is there cause for
 the cry to go forth so ably voiced by Prof. Walter Rauschenbusch in his Prayer for the Babies?''
 70, God, since Thou has laid the i little children into our arms In utter helplessaess, with no protection save
 our love, we pray that the sweet ap- peal of their baby hands may not be in vain. Let no innocent life in our | city be quenched again in useless pain through our ignorance and sin. May we who are mothers or fathers seek eag-
 erly to join wisdom to our love- lest love itself be deadly when unguided by knowledge. Bless the doctors and nurses. and all the friends of men who
 are giving of their skill and devotion to the care of our children. If there
 are any who were kissed by love in
 their own infancy, but who have no child to whom they may give as they
 have received, grant them such large
 ness of sympathy that they may. re- ! joice to pay their debt in full to all
 children who have need of them. Forgive us. our Father, for the heart- ! lossness of the past. Grant us great ten
 derness for all babies who suffer, and a growing sense of the divine myster. that is prooding in the soul of every child Anen."
 In the decade from 1900 to 19i0 there died in Birmingham 1884 children under
 1 year of age; 23 per cent of this num- ! her. or 3I6. from acute intestinal dsor- ders;" 22.S per cent. or S64. from "un-
 known causes; 145 per cent, or 237. from
 plleumonia 12.4 per cent or 203, from
 marasmus; the remaining 27.3 per cent
 distributed among many other causes our indictment lies in these four counts. Unfortunately, there is no legal remedy.
 Unknown deaths number 354. Comment is superfiuous Marasmus is only another term for neglect and improper or insuf- ncisnt food. while pneumonia may or may not be attributable to exposure be- cause of neglect Acute intestinal dis crders can he characterized in the sweep
 ing generality of improper feeding, and