The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-06-15
With the Clubwornen


~ the special committees are bus,
as ever with the regular work o
the state federation, and the health
committee perhaps more busy becaus
or the summer work in the care of ba
bies, the most essential worl, bcinj
done today by the general and tn
state fedcrationS of womeu's Gibbs
The local health committee is planniD;
to establish babies health roDtes
for the fair OF next fall. and directl,
in line with this comes the followin,
from the children s bureau in the de
partment of labor at Washington
which is being sent out bv Mrs. r. {
Gemmell of the local health board {,
the clubs through the state;
What the American cities are do
ing and can do toward preventing
infant mortality and the high death
rate OF children under years OF age
is the subject OF a bulletin now in
press by the children's bureau. 1t is
the purpose Of the bureau 10 issue
similar bulletin annually and in time
TO make IL a complete manual for
municipal and phllanthroDic activities
In the direction of child welfare.
Summer campaigns for babies lives
have been wased with such marvel
ously good effect in some cities that
II seems TO tho bureau important TO
enlist the energies OF as many cities
In this work as possible. To this end
II VIII be helpful to collect and pre-
sent for the Information OF all the
llttle or much that is being done by
the various cities.
The efforts OF city health officials
have resulted in the last ten years
In reducing the general death rate in
cities below that of the rural dis
tricts and villages. This reduction
In the general death rate Is an en-
couaging indication OF what Is posi-
BILE OF accomplishment In efforts 20
reduce the infant death rate. Babies
die Of diseases which to a large ex-
tent are preventable. and thus when
welfare work is directed toward saw
Ing their lives the response is inn
mediate anG decided. In certain
large cities such as New York and
Philadelphia, the result Of systematic
summer baby-sayinG campaigns has
been shown In reduction OF between
J and 40 per cent in the deaths OF
children under 9 years Of age, in the
wards where the work was concen-
trated.
Practically the only limit OF the
good results to be obtained by en-
thus!astic campaigns lies in the hnan
legations of the chlldren's bureau
indicate that the principal impedi-
ment- 10 effective work IN the health
departments of most cities Is the lack
preventive measures intellsentIy.
and experience verihes the truth OF
the motto of the New York health
department; Public health is pur-
chasabe; within netura! limitations
a community can determine It's own
death rate"
1t Is estimated that baby nursed
by its mother has approximately ten
times the chances to live that a
bottle-fed baby has All welfare
1TlN 10,
encourage mothers TO make every ef-
fort to carry out this most important
maternal duty.
A clean milk supply is funda-
short OF clean milk for everybody.
But the need for the prompt remedy
of bad milk conditions Is more urgent
in It's relation 10 the welfare OF babies
than to that of, adults; since. dirty
milk Is largely responsible for the oc-
currence Of diarrhoea and enteritis.
the most FREQUENT causes OF death
among infants. The remedy lies In
the intelligent and effective inspec
tion OF farms. the means of trans
portation. and the shops where milk
is sold and in ordinances governing
the sale of dipped or loose" milk.
\ constantly increasing number of
cities Of all sizes are establishing
whether pure whole milk. certified.
modified, pasteuri2ed. or sterlized
milk TO mothers OF ba bies that must
be bottlefod. Some of the cities in
which such institutions are main
taincd are: Albany. Baltimore, Bos-
ton, Buffalo. Chicago, Dayton. De-
troit, Hartford, Honolulu, Indian
apolis. Kansas City. Mo: Lawrence.
Newark. New Bedford. New Haven,
New York, Peoria Pittsburg, Provi
dence. Rochester. st Louis. Spring
field, o.; Waterbury, Wikesbarre.
Worcester. Yonkers and Utica.
The milk station is simply "a room
sufficiently large to accommodate the
patrons and equipped with large
ice box. a desk, some chairs and a
table. An ordinary store. is suitable
for a station and sometimes. as in
the case OF the station at Utica, y.
Y, a schoolroom may be used for the
purpose The station is usually under
the charge Of n nurse, and physl-
clan is in attendance at stated hours.
Baby clinics arc an almost lneyita-
BILE outgrowth Of the milk stations,
1t becomes apparent at once that
many mothers need advice as to the
care of their babies. especially those
is established by the wholly volun-
teer services OF doctors, who exam
inc every baby presented al the milk
station: weigh H.. prescribe It's diet,
and tell the mother when to bring
II back.
1t is the opinion In some cities that
visiting nurses. sometimes called
Instructive Visiting Nurses should
take precedence over all other forms
OF welfare work, The duties of such
cases brought TO the clinics and/in
general welfare work in connection
with the babies In the congested dis
trlcts.
Municipalities are Just beginning TO
awaken to the Importance OF this
kind of work and 10 understand that