The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-21
Inadequate Medical Attention
Before Birth of Child.
Doctor Also BIames Defective
Medical Training.
TAKE GREAT RISK
Err in Considering Childbirth
Normal, Simple Ordeal.
Mothers Warned Against Ter
rOrs of Measles and WhOOps.

Milwaukee Wis, Oct 21-"Forty per
cent of the infant mortality and some
maternal mortality are due to made
quate medical care at time of con-
finement,' said DR.. Arthur B. EN-
mons of Boston, at the opening session
of the Seventh Annual Meeting of the
American Association for Study and
Prevention of Infant Mortality at Mil
waukee. To the same cause, he at
tributed many stillborns and much re-
duced infant and maternal vitality,
more than half of which is declared to
be preventable.
I'm order to obtain effectiveness
and completeness" he said, 81 sug-
gest the notification of pregnaucies to
the local health authority. These not
ifications should be treated conf
dential1y ard might be at first volun-
tary but later should be required.
This would furnish the necessary in
formation to the health authorities
who should be required to determine
that proper prenatal and safe obstetric
care is assured tc each prospective
mother
He said that the tracts published by
the association are the best key to the
literature on infant welfare improve
ment, including as they do, rs papers
with discussions bearing directly on
obstetrics, and reports of new work
undertaken by over Isl affiliated So
cieties These records " he said, list
the backwardness of obstetric practice
in this country today as follows:
-1-Insufficient teaching of obstet-
RIGS in the medical schools.
GA low standard of obstetric
practice generally. and rarely any pre-
natal work.
Midwife Laws Haphazard.
"3-Long hours and poor pay. 1t
fI7n low 70
repair the results of bad obstetrics
than to prevent such results.
1.-THE midwife laws vary from
unrestricted license, simple reSistra-
ton, education and supervision by po-
lice patrol, 20 non-recognition like any
other unqualified person, as in Massa-
chusetts.
'5-Each community presents diff
ferent problems, and must solve its
own accordingly.
"6-TEe public and many physicians
still consider childbirth a simple, nor
Ugly take grave risks which Life In
surance companies will not take.
1.-THE medical profession which
might successfully lead to a rapid So
luton of the difficulties, is as yet IN
united in any constructive effort to
improve the situation"
Kill 10000 Annually.
In an address, DIR. Borden S. Veeder
of St. Louis, directed attention to the
fact that altho measles and whcoping
cough are such everyday events that
they are regarded of little Importance,
between 5000 ana 10000 children die
annually in the United States from
each of these diseases.
Thus he said, leach of these dis
eases causes more deaths than scarlet
fever, and a great many more than
infantile paralysis. Over half of the
deaths from whooping cough are in
infants under one year of age-and SO
per cent in children under 10. Measles
likewise has it's highest mortality
among infants. The widespread idea
that it IS a good thing for a child
to have these diseases early and get
them over with is erroneous. The
younger the child the higher the IA
tally rate.
I'm infancy some ten out of every
hundred cases die, while the mortal
ity rate in children over five years
is about one in two hundred cases. In
both diseases by far the larger num-
Der of deaths are due to pneumonia
and other complications of the re-
SDirat0rv tract -