Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-03-16
AID SAVES
MANY INFANTS
Consultation Station Opened in
1911 Has Accomplished
Excellent Results.

An experimental station established
for the purpose of proving that infant
mortality can be materially reduced
by instruoting mothers in the proper
nutrition and hygienic care Of their
babies" is the way that one of the
doctors in charge describes the work
which is being carried on under the
direction of the public welfare conf
mittee in a room at 222 Eighth ave-
nue..
This infant consultation station, the
first established In this city, and, pos-
sibly, the first along exactly the same
lines in the country, vas opened in
July, 1911. since the neighborhood is
essentially italian. 1t WAS placed under
the direction Of two italian doctors and
a nurse of the same nationality. The
primary object Of this station was to
prove that by the establishment of
sucj1 a station for the instruction of
mothers in the congested districts of
this city that inestimable good from
a humanitarian view would result and
that infant mortality would be reduced
among the poorer Glasses. The results
of the work done would certainly seem
to uphold the contention OF those who
were Instrumental in the establishment
Of this station. over 500 cases have
been taken up by the clinic, and the
percentage of mortality is under 1E.
That of the most modern n success
full hospital is around 6 per cent.
The cases which were handled by
the doctors at the station We're those
which involved merely a question of
feeding or care of he infant. No case
of any OF the numerous n widespread
infant diseases were touched, but were
referred directly to the family physi-
clans OF the parents.
"Our plan of operation is simple"
said DR.. Julius Levy, chairman of the
health committee of the public vel
fare. 1--WE instruct the mothers in the
proper care of the infant, we deter
mine the proper system and quality OF
feeding, and in the case of the moth
er's inability to furnish it, we tell her
where to procure healthy milk. In adj
dition to this we send a nurse to the
home to show her how to prepare this
bought milk for the child. Our sys-
tenn is purely one of instruction"
The consultation station is open
three times a week, Monday, Wednes-
day and Friday, and IN these days the
small room is crowded with women
all with babies ranging from a few
Jays to a year or more. in age, who
nave come to learn why their progeny
are pale and l~istless, instead of being
the happy, cooling, contented little bits
of mortality which nature intended.
Each case is taken up In turn n the
mother is told in her own language
when to feed the child and how much
to give it. II she is unable to feed the
child at the breast she is sent to a
drug store, which, by special arrange
ment, sells the best dairy milk at nine
cents a quart. Then a nurse is sent
to the home to show her how to ire
duce'' this milk to the strength fit for
the digestive organs of the baby.
II is a striking scene to witness one
of the morning. sessions at the clinic.
A mother comes in with @ shawl-cov-
cred bundle under her arm. When this
outer covering is removed a pinched,
wizened face is exposed, and, maybe. a
thin skeleton arm and hand. Nearly
always the child is swathed in yard
after yard of some Manufactured
cloth, which is drawn so tightly around
the baby form that impressions re-
main after they are removed. The
nurse takes the baby and shows the
mother how this is harmful to the
child in preventing the growth of GER
tain organs. She then dresses it in
loose. hygienic garments; wraps IL
snugly and tells the parent of the
proper manner of attiring the small
body. Before the baby is dressed,
however, it is bathed and weighed and
the weights are tabulated. Each week
the baby is brought pack and weighed
and the diet is changed accordingly.
The physicians state that they find lit
tie trouble in getting the women to
follow instructions, except in the case
of dressing the baby. 1t seems that
the mummy method of swathing the
child is i%ngrained in the nature, and
they are a little 10th to adopt such a
radical change on a moments notice.
There are fifteen drug stores which
have agreed to furnish the best quality
of tested dairy milk to the parents.
This Is sold to outsiders for IA cents
a quart, but by special arrangement
these stores give it to the mothers for
nine cents. A close watch Is kept on
the supply by the Board of Health.
Frequent tests are made and the re-
suits sent to the welfare committee.
This experimental station is under
the direct supervision of DIR. Julius
Levy, but Drs. Di Matteo and Pigna-
taro are in active charge. Miss Gau-
denza occupies the position of nurse
and averages over thirty calls a day
among her patients. Those back of
the movement hope. by the results OBJ
tained in this section. to show that
such a station should be established
In every congested district OF the city.
These stations would be under the i'm
mediate supervision of the public well
fare committee, but would have in
charge OF them doctors and nurses of
the same nationality as the neighbor-
hood In which they were established.
In a campaign started for the pur-
pose of giving the movement the neces-
sary publicity to ensure It's success a
moving picture concern has been en-
pIoyed to take numerous films showing
the different stages and phases of the
work, and these will be shown in the
city.