The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-11-04
BABY MORTALITY
LOWER IN CITY
THAN COUNTRY

MILWAUKEE, Nov. 2.-Death rate
Of infants is higher in the country
than in the city.
The city has better facilities for
mothers and more educational work
Is done.
So asserted Miss Elizabeth Kelley.
University of Wisconsin, in her ad-
dress on Home Problems of the Ru-
raj Woman" delivered here Satur-
day. Miss Kelley spoke before the
American Association for the Study
and Prevention of Infant Mortality,
which is in convention here.
A round table conference at which
nursing and social work were dis
cussed brought the convention to q
close in the afternoon.
Farm Women Overworked.
"Poor grade Of country doctors,
lack of nurses and lack of domestic
help are the principal causes for the
high infant rate in rural commune
ties" said MSS Kelley. 'The farm
woman is an indispensable Fart of the
farm establishment. The home is the
only commissary department on the
farm.
'When the farm woman is incapaci-
tated, the running order of the plant
breaks down at it's most important
point. 1t naturally follows that the
farm wife feels she must be absent
from her post not more than three or
four days at the time of childbirth
When she resumes her household
duties after this absence she finds
30 much to be done that she works
beyond her strength and lessons the
supply of milk so that it becomes
necessary to artificially feed the child
partly or wholly.
Needs Mechanical Aids.
1.-THE remedy for the first two
causes namely, poor physicians and
lack of nurses lies with the medical
profession, but the last, teaching the
mother how to care for herself be-
fore and after childbirth is the pro-
vince of home economics.
1.-The farm women can no more
remedy the LACK Of domestic help
than the farmer can remedy the lack
of "hands'' on the farm. Like him,
she must turn to power machinery to
solve her ::problems:c= The husband has
the seeder, the planter. the cultiVafor,
the mower, the reaper. all run by
power, so the wife must have first.
running water in the house, then
bread mixer, the :d:shwasher, the
meat grinder the washing machine,
the vacuum cleaner.
knowledge is Necessary
"She must learn that it is her pa
triotic duty to give to the state,
strong, healthy boys and girls and to
do this she must know the laws of life
and health and home making"
Some of: the ways in which the
workers from the university extension
departments of colleges and UNIVERSE
ties, working under the federal and
: state appropriations are cooperating
to bring about the solution Of the
rural health problem, were described
By Miss Agnes Boeing, University of
! Wisconsin.
''The agricultural extension work.
err" she said, comes in contact with
the people as one who endeavors to
help solve their everyday pro5lems:
the problems Of food, housing and
care of the family IN general"
New Zealand Reports.
At separate session held Friday,
the report of the New Zealand society,
| which claims it has cut the death rate
In half in. the last nine years, was
! heard. Tn 1907, the death rate was
80 out Of every 1000 births and this
| year the rate will run about 40 to
every 1000: babies born, according to
the report. go *''- ""~ :: e.,
! The Society for the Health :. of
Women and Children in New Zealand.
was founded in 1907 and has eight
branches, four. in. the north and four
in the south island. It. employs a
large force of visiting nurses whose
duty it is to educate and help parents
and others in a practical way. The
services of the nurses are free to any
member Of the community, rich or