The Washington herald., 1916-05-07
PLAN TO FOLLOW
Up BABY Week
Welfare Workers Will Seek
Laws Protecting Infants
From Disease.
MILKREGULATION URGED
Diet Kitchen Superintendent Calls At
tention to Effect Of ln,anitary
Housing Conditions.

It is practically certain that the infant
welfare workers of the city will follow
Up baby week with a systematic cam
Paisn for the ena aCtment of laws by Con-
gTess for the further protection OF babies
from disease in the District during the
infancy.
Among the first laws to be advocated,
It is understood. will be one for a more
rigid supervision of the City's milk
supply, which infant welfare workers re-
gard as one OF the biggest factors in the
present high infant death rate in the Uni
ted States
Health Of1cer William c. Woodward
who for years has been endeavoring to
get a stricter milk law from Congress,
expressed the belief that Washington is
behind other large cities OF the country
IN the regulation Of its milk supply.
We ought to have a milk law" said
DR.. Woodward, that would compel deal
ers to keep their bottles at an even. cold
temperature from the time II is taken
from the cow until served at the home,
so as TO prevent decomposition.
The Commissioners ought to have au.
thoTity 10 classify the city's milk into
grades, such as A, B, and c.
The law should prevent dealers from
advertising their milk as 'pasteurized
unless Il is really pasteurized.
We should have more inspectors ir
order to properly supervise the nearby
farms from which much Of the city'i
milk comes.
Infant Death Rate DecreaNnE.
Tt is a significant fact that Washing
tons infant death. which was very higr
twenty years ago. began to decrease after
the passage of the present milk supply
law in 1895. This shows the part which
bad milk plays in infant mortality"
DR.. Woodward said that while he wa
rot in a position to know whether tbs
women Of Washington are wanting ir
their knowledge Of the proper care oi
babies. he said that the large coloret
population Of the city-amOng whom les
attention is given to the care Of in,
fants-ts an important factor in Washing
toms infant death rate.
The peCuliarities Of the summer eli
mate here also plav a big part in the
death NJ babies during the first year o1
their life, Or. Woodward said. This con
ditiOn. he pointed out, must be remediet
by unusual care in housing conditions nc
the food given babies during the summer
Miss Esteue Wheeler. superintendent o
one Of the stations Of the WASHINGTON
Diet Kitchen Association. said that while
Washington is a beautiful city. there are
many sections IN which living condition.
are deplOrahIe from the standpoint or
the health Of the babies who are born ir
those sections
Miss Wheeler said Congress should pro
vide the Health department with at Ieas
three visiting nurses to supervise tn,
health Of these infants The health n
babies born in UnfavorabIe surroundin-
Is watched solely by the WASHINGTON Die
Kitchen Association and the Instructiv.
Visiting Nurses Society. voluntary or
ganizatiOns that cooperate with tn,
Health Department..
These two organizations have beer
largely responsible for the rapid reduc
tion in infant mortality in recent Yea rs
w hen the Health Department learns o
the birth Of child which they have rea
son TO believe will not receive proDer
care. having no municipal nurses. the7
notify one Of these voluntary organizs
tons The Diet Kitchen covers tn,
northwest and southwest. while tn,
Nurses Society covers the southeast auc
northeast
Mrs. Max West. of the United State,
Chtldren's Bureau. and Miss Wheeler botF
declared that the education Of the womer
Of America in the care Of infants is tn.
only way in which the wanton destruc
ton of children through careIessness car
Dc checked