New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-06
INFANT MORTALITY
REDUCED IN 1912
Report of Work Done in Greater
City by Babies Welfare
Association.
1874 BABY LIVES SAVED
DR.. S. Josephine Baker Talks
of the Prospects of In
creased Efficiency
of Work.

7
The reduction of infant mortality in
/ 1912 is the most remarkable feature Of
, New York City's record health year. ac-
cordirig to detailed figures just complet-
! ed by the Board of Health While the
general death rate was reduced during
| the year from 1913 per cent TO All per
cent or a little over / per cent. the rate
J for infants under one year old was re-
duced from III to lo5 in 1000. or 6 per
! cent.
! There were in 1912 only 1888 deaths
Of babies under one year old from all
causes i'm the greater city, as compared
I with 1888 i'm 1911. a decrease OF tGi
The number Of births in the city in
creased lOSl. 1t is figured that SSi baby
| lives We're S3ved
! DR.. : Josephine Baker chief Of the
/ Division Of child Hygiene. says the de-
! tails of tho infant mortality figures
| prove that this saving of baby life has
| been due I'm Il large measure to the ef-
| fcctive campaign against infant disease.
For example. last year showed it's chief
decrease in diarrhmal, respiratory and
J contag ious diseases, against which: the
most thorough work has been done. IN
deaths due 10 weakness OF mothers at
| the time Of birth the record i not so
good. This is the only form of infant
malay against which no definite gem
eral campaign has been wagcd. This ~
| a very complicated problem. Dr. Baker
/ points out. and attempts To control pre-
natai or congcnital condi tons are merely
/ I'm their infancy. The Division of child
| Hygiene IS now taking up the problem
with the committee for the reduction of
infant mortality Of the New York MIX
Committee. and it il hoped that within
the next year some definite results can
! be shown.
! The only borough In the city which did
/ not show decrease OF deaths WAS the
rapidly growing Borough Of The Bronx,
where well organized social work has
| scarcely been begun. only three of the
/ eighty milk stations in the city are 10,
catcd I'm The Bronx. other forms OF IN
/ fsut welfare work are equally deficient
Manhattan. which contains q majority 81
| the milk stations and has the most thor
! oughly organized social work. shows by
| far the greatest decrease in infant
|
We are entitled to allow ourselves a
! certain amount Of cong "a tula ton upon
! the results OF tine summer iu baby saw
/ ing. We have had difficult problem to
/ face because az the great Tcduc .uu in
| infant mortality which was effected In
| 1911. ! felt personally that II the city =
death rate among babies remained at
/ the low figure established FOR that year
We might be reasonably content win
our efforts.
1 ,ss.,.
| alone don't account fOr our results here
| Is afforded by q comparison with other
! parts of the country. While ! haven't
| the completed figures FOR the year from
/ other cities as vet, comparisons made q
| little earlier show jhat this reduction In
| infant mortality has not been general
! Throughout the country. The reduction
IN New York City for the year up 10 the
! time comparisons were made was three
| times greater than IL was FOR the rest Of
J the state.
The result in this city has been due
/ H. my opinion. not only 10 the work al
, the Division of child Hygiene but large
! ~ 10 Tie excellent cooperative efforts
made by the various sOcie lies affiliated
with the Babies Welfare Association.
! Through our central clearing house
each OF the eighty organizations IN the
association Is kept in constant touch
with ,he work or the rest OF the field by
| means OF our weekly reports. The news
papers have helped us generously by in
INi htihN INV publl' ifEdlhltk our Nplh
! We have also sent out 20 tenement dwell
ers and others from our central office
more than n million pieces of literature
! But our central office is not merely a
! publicity station. We distributed 900
| 600 pounds OF ice last summer. for one
| thing. We established hospital bu-
! reau. through which, babies could be
| placed in hospitals. and we are handling
| an average of baby a day through IT,
| We are handling babies for the outing
| agencies III the same way. and are now
/ working on plan for establishing tenn
| porary shelters for well babies through
| OUT the city. where they may be kept
while their mothers are sick. We are
also taking up the work OF caring for
| babies during their conyalescent period
after leaving the hospital