The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-04-04
DR.. F. w. Wyman Who 10 on the Sac
and Fox Agency at Oklahoma
City, Writes Of Saving
Babies.
HIS COUNSEL IS TIMELY
Not Only to Indian Mothers But to
White Mothers n Well, Are
His Suggestions
Pertinent.

Ac SdllISlS ATTOW, newspaper
printed by the students Of the Carlisle
Indian school at Carlisle. Pa. has a
supplement with this issue which
deals with the baby problem. The first
article in this supplement is by a
former Keokuk man. DR.. F. W. Wyman
who is with the Sac and Fox agency
at Oklahoma.
DR.. Wyman's article, while written
primarily for the Indian mother, will
be timely for all who are Interested
in the campaign for better babies, and
1t is produced here as printed IN the
Carlisle Arrow:
AT last better day Is dawning for
the baby; it is no longer the fashion
to subject it to promiscuous kissing,
TO allow it to roam about the floor
feeding on miscellaneous objects that
it picks up, and to dose it with all
kinds of home remedies. The Nation
al Congress of Mothers, the Parent
Teacher Associations, the Bureau OF
Education, the State itself, are rally
ing to his aid. They stand ready to
cooperate with the parent to the end
that their children may receive, dur
Ing their tender years. the kind of
nurture that will best fit them to sur
vtve. Since the Mothers Congress
took the initial step in this direction
In 1897, much has peen accomplished,
but according to the latest report of
the Commissioner of Education, a
great deal remains to be DONE Par
ents in most instances (says the presk
dent of the National Congress Of
Mothers) are without specific knowl-
edge OF infant hygiene, child nurture,
and home-making. Under such con-
ditinns 1t is no wonder that the infant
death rate is still alarmingly high, and
even where the children survive, many
of them remain susceptible to disease
on account Of lack of proper nourish-
ment and care during babyhood.
Indian Death Rate High.
A medical examination held recently
In fifteen cities of the United States
brought to light the astounding fact
that of $4,000 school children eXamirl-
ed, no fewer than 29,019 were not only
underfed, but were suffering in health
from the result Of undertaking. Nor
did these children cone from poverty
| stricken homes. in fact a large per-
Icentage of them came from homes dis
tinctly we'll to do. The trouble was
not that they did not get enough to
eat. but that they did not get enough
OF the right kind OF food. II such
conditions are prevalent among mem
bers of the white race, it is not to
be wondered at that Indian fathers
and mothers too, are often unable to
rear their children, in fact the high
/ death rate Of the red race is due to
large degree to infant mortality. For
instance, on the Sac and Fox Reserva-
ton in the past year, out Of the eight
deaths that occurred, five were those
Of children ranging in age from one
month to four years, and In looking
over my records for the past few years
| I find that this same proportion is al
most constant. Most Of these deaths
I attribute to neglect, not willful, to
| be sure. but none the less fatal. No
doubt this same cause (neglect) could
be laid ut the door OF the majority
OF white parents whose children die in
infancy. From these figures it be-
comes evident that G2A per cent OF
the deaths on this reservation occur
in infancy, and I believe / am leaving
a liberal margin when I say four out
Of five deaths that have occurred an
nuaIly could have easily been prevent