Norwich bulletin., 1915-10-08
WORK FOR
 BETTER BABIES
1continued from paae sexenl

diseases, wasting diseases, premature birth, specific causes and to lack of care And indeed the work of these organizations has born fruit for with in the last 10 years infant mortality has diminished at a tremendous rate; in New Haven alone the deaths un- der two years of age from diarrhoeal diseases have been reduced one half.
 The work can really be divided into two divisions. one of the dispensing of milk and the more important, the educational part. for by the furnish ing of pure milk alone we can not begin to correct the more important causes of the infant mortality, the constant supervision of these babies and the education of the mother and father and the whole family in the fundamental rules Of hygiene and cleanliness as well as the careful pre- natal supervision, the encouragement and the insistence of breast feeding wherever possible are fully as im- portant as pure milk, and these can only be accomplished by educative procedures. Instruction Through Clubs. Under the educative division of the work therefore parental instruction, post natal supervision and follow up work the formation and the leading of little mothers clubs and the super vision of boarded out foundlings WOu1Q Uc IHC1uuOu. Ine ldSC men tionnd has only been included the last few years. strange too. for. the fright ful mortality amongst foundlings and institutional babies has been a well know fact for years.
 The active organization in New Ha- Of each station, a head nurse nd a nurse in charge of each. The head | nurse. being the nurse in charge of the dispensary station; assistant nurs- es who fill in wherever they are need ed and station matrons. It is for the test interest of all concerned that both physicians and nurses must be in sympathy with the work and this especially true of nurses and our 1 nurses who are supplied by the visit 1 ing nurses organization are careful 1 ly selected, both for their training and their interest in the work. Professional Cooperation. Great care is taken by all of us that sick babies are referred back to their own physicians so that no practitioner CDh say that cases are l taken away from him. to procure the l cooperation of the profession. Ma | turally this is very important and am thankful to say that most all the l physicians in New Haven have CO., | operated with us. At the ,dfspensary station with which I am associated most of the cases are from my clinic 1 and are turned over to the associa- l tion for feeding. so that the problem of feeding sick babies presents itself l more at this station than any other. 1 Sick Eabies are either brought to the station daily or are visited by one l Of the nurses and necessary treatment such as irrigations or baths are given as directed by the physician in charge
 of the case.
 Pure Milk.
 l IA
 tained in New Haven, is dispensed at
 a nominal charge from the station in the morning. In many cases the fam
 lilies prefer to have the milk delivered
 at their homes, the only obligation is
 .hat 9:1t- they procure reliable milk
 from May to October.
 At conferences the babies are
 brought. in to be weighed. They are then seen by the doctor examined and if necessary the formula is changed. Advice is given encourage l many breast fed babies and errors O. diet and training are pointed out. 1 Prenatal work is an important fac
 tor in the reduction of infant mortal
 ity.
 Prenatal Work.
 The attempt is made to reach the
 expectant mother as early as possible
 during her pregnancy. The work i. , usually carried out by the Visiting
 Nurses's organization The nurs, comes in touch with these wome1 ; through cooperation with milk sta lions, charity organizations, churches and clinics. Each woman is visited a , her Aonne by the nurse, who explains 5 her visit and gains the confidence O the patient
 The expectant mother is told tn
 importancN of good physical condi N1.,a
 self in this condition. instructed as t
 diet and what kind of work she shoul P avoid. She is advised as regards ar
 rangement for her confinement. Ere
 ouent urine analyses are made by tn nurse and abnorralities are reporte ! | to the physician in charge of the cas 1 Breast feeding is urged and talke
 about from the very beginning.
 The prenatal work in New Haven i, 1 conducted by the obstetric service C . \ the clinic, one of the visiting nurse ! following up the case and bringing tn
 cases to the clinic as the occasion de
 mands. After the obsterician l n through with the case, the, baby a turned over to the welfare society an . is carried through the first two year of its life. the mother being urged | . bring in the baby to the conference 2
 often as is possible.
 Little Mothers leagues and Lit = Mothers clubs have been organized :; various cities under the auspices # Welfare organizations to carry furth, s instruction to the home
 S The children are taught how
 bathe and dress a baby and mi a modification if the need be. They d ; given simple talks on hygiene, clear f l iiness, flies and diet and the class d are always attentive.
 Is pr. kiein's Paper.
 A stereopticon was used to illustda