The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-04-24
Miss Lathrop Speaks for
the Children's Bu-
reau
DEPARTMENT DOING
ORIGINAL WORK
1t Is Trying to Prevent
All Unnecessary
Deaths

Washington, April 2d.-The work OF
the ehildren's bureau recently establish
ed by the United States department OF
labor was reviewed by Miss Julia G.
Lathrop, chief of the bureau, in an adj
dress before the third international con-
gress on the welfare of the child here
day, and she spoke of the work out
lined for the future.
"The children's bureau has carefully
avoided taking up any subject within its
field which was already in the hands of
any other government agency. The first
object selected for study was infant
mortality, because of its obvious i'm
portance, its comparative simplicity, and
the fact that it was not then being
studied by another government agency.
The bulk of the allowance asked by the
bureau for the coming year in its pro-
posed estimate is designed for the con
tinuance of this study into infant NOR
tally and for allied work.
"The inquiry into infant mortality
conducted by the children's bureau is
original in character, first because it be-
gins by q study of the birth record rath-
err than the death record; second, be-
cause it is not medical study, but its
design is to secure data regarding the
social, industrial and civic surroundings
of infancy in about fifty typical Ameri-
can communities, especially small towns
and distinctly rural districts.
"The results hoped are first, body
of valuable statistical information; sec
ond an awakening of public interest and
responsibility by the mere fact of the
inquiry; and third, information upon
which further advances in preventive
work, can be based. Theis inquiry can
not go to any community which does
not register the births of its babies and
hence another natural result is an i'm.
provement in birth registration.
This cosntry has no system of vital
statistics adequate to furnish an exact
estimate founded on the figures OF the
few cities and states which do have ade-
quate statistics, but the vital Stats
tician of the census bureau says that
probably 100000 children died last year
in the United States The great santa
rians tell us that half these lives could
have been saved if we had utilized
methods of hygiene and sanitation, al
ready understood-more than that, il
children are we'll born and cared for,
that infant mortality may be meg
ligible quantity The power of reduc-
ton lies with us, and it is illimitable in
extent In New Zealand, where a yolun-
teer society for the health of women
and children has been at work for some
years, the death rate has been reduced
to 81 for the whole country, while in
certain communities il is still lower,
notably in the city of Dunedin, where it
has been reduced to 49, The New York
City board of health says public health
is purchasable. Within certain natural
a community can determine
its own death rate Newsholme, the
great English authority, says infant
mortality is the best single index we
have of social conditions.
'The problem of infant mortality has
been stated by the scientists. The
methods of meeting it have been worked
out by the sanitarians. IL now remains
to popularize these methods, to increase
public interest in securing their appli-
cation. The ehildren's bureau is at
tempting to popularize that vast field
Of information regarding social, civic and
individual hygiene, which, if applied by
citizens and communities, will result in
a lowering of the infant death rate and
a raising of the general standard of
health"