El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-01-22


AA/ The first week in March is
to be Baby Week" II viii be
celebrated on nationwide scale IN
der the auspices OF the government
Children's bureau. Four hundred
cities and towns all over the country
have promised 10 participate.
Baby week means a campaign for
baby welfare. Too many babies die
Too many are sickly. with a CORES
ponding expectation of impaired fu-
ture usefulness as citizens, IL they
manage TO grow up. Ignorance and
neglect are the chief causes.
In the United States every year a.,
100000 babies are born. One in every
eight OF them does not live long enough
TO see its second birthday. Yet, at
least five Of these eight could be saved
II properly cared =or.
Ia n Problem Of Conservation.
It is a problem in conservation. There
Is no other material out Of which
American citizens can be fashioned A
newborn infant is reckoned 20 have
a value Gin an economic sensel OF only
29o-largely because its prospect Of
survival is so slim. The value to the
state of an able-bodied man OF 80
years is placed at about SO. O00 Mani
testify. then, babies are crop worth
raising.
As matters now stand. the most
dangerous occupation in the world is
that Of being a baby An aviator who
goes up in a flying machine every day
Cor a tWelVemonth has q much better
chance of surviving at the end Of that
period than the average infant en-
joys OF getting safely through the
first year Of LIE.
Government Is Interested.
The Federal government, for the first
time n its history, is taking (through
the Children's bureau) an active in
terest in the welfare Of babies It is
trying to promote the doctrine that,
in order to have better babies, the
people Of this country must learn how
70 be better parents. They must set
TO work TO acquire a better knowledge
Of the art Of parenthood-
For one thing, il Is very desirable
that women shall not marry too young.
The size and weight of the child de-
ponds largely upon the age OF the
mother Children Of very young
mothers are apt to be understood and
of feeble vitality If q woman be
not fully matured, some OF the nourish-
ment needed by her unborn child is ex-
pended on her own Development Some
eminent Psychologists are Of opinion
that the smallneSs Of the Japanese as
a race may be attributable TO the Gus
tomary too-early marriage Of their
Mothers Are oEerTEorked.
Another cause Of the large infant 1
mortality is that, among the poorer
underfed II is very important that /
an expectant mother shall not be /
worked hard. in factory or at home, I
up to the very time Of her confinement 1
Boston has taken this problem Tigor- I
ously in hand. expectant mothers be /
ing regularly enrolled, and visited fire. /
quently by municipal nurses who teach /
them how 10 care for themselves and /
are taken TO see that they get enough
to- eat The cost Of this work TO date
has been only S2.67 for each case, and
already IL has cut the number OF still
births in half (for the women dealt
With. and has increased by ounces
the weight OF the average BABY at
birth.
The most important cause OF NOR
tality among infants is digestive trou-
bIes. due chiefly 10 bottle feeding The
average mother does not at all realize
that this method OF feeding greatly
diminishes the child's prospect Of sur
wing. Breasted babies have q
vastly better chance OF living and
growing 10 be strong and healthy boys
ruences their health and bodily de-
velopment as adults. In summer six
oottle-fed babies die OF digestive trOu-
oles for every breast-fed baby that sue
cumbs 10 such ailments
Pneumonia An Enemy.
In winter time largely because OF
the absence Of flies, which are the
chief distributors OF these digestive
formidable enemies Of babies Its prey
slence among them is attributable
mainly to bad housing and lack OF
fresh air Physicians say, however,
hat kissing is undoubtedly responsible
or many baby deaths from pneumonia
even the heaIthiest people commonly
AVE pneumonia germs in their mouths,
nd contact Of this kind may easily
ransfer them to the helpless child
From 80 to so per cent Of all the
abies born in American cities come
nto the world without medical atten-
ion. more or less ignorant midwiTes
akfng the place OF qualified physi-
ians This fact in itself accounts for !
. very large proportion Of the total
lumber Of deaths Of young infants
Dope" (opium or morphine usually,
in the form Of so-called
soothing syrups," kills whole reg
ments OF babies. But a fundamental
roubls Is that the average woman
Knows next TO nothing of the art OF
motherhood It is her most important
business, and yet she takes no pains
o study it before bringing q child into
he world.
What Baby Week Means.
Baby Week, IN way, is not idea al
ogether new. New York. Pittsburg and
,ther cities have had baby weeks 10
ally celebrated But, according to
he present plan OF the Children's