Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-02-22
To Save the Babies
BY ii. ADDINGToN BRUCE.

Al.
OHILD conservation is one of the really urgent
problems of our day. And the thing that
- will count most of all in helping to solve 1t
satisfactorily is the education. of mothers
For maternal ignorance is undoubtedly the
greatest single factor responsible for the enor-
nous toll which death annually exacts among the
babies of the country.
How heavy the exaction is may be appreciated
from the fact that during the interval between
the latest federal census and the preceding it
$500 900 babies under year of age died in the
United States. This is at the rate or zoV,VVO
deaths year
Of this appalling infant mortality it has been
estimated that 40 per cent is due to disturbances
of nutrition and to acute intestinal diseases The
carelessness and ignorance of mothers with re-
gard to the feeding of their babies accounts large
ly for the great number of deaths from these
causes.
In a recent address Dr. John L. Morse, speak
ing of the work of the Boston Milk and Baby Hy-
geine association, said:
'tIt is this 40 per cent which the Milk and
~Baby Hygiene association primarily tries to reach
and the logical way is by the encouragement OF
maternal nursing, providing clean milk, and teach
ing the mothers how to care for it in their homes
and to modify it to suit the individual require
ments of their babies. -,.a., .e>,y.
Statistics show that one in every five of bot,
tlefed babies dies before it is year old, wnlle
only one in every thirty of the breast-fed babies
dies. Thus the breast-fed baby is given six times
as much chance to live as the bottle-fed BABY
THE reasons why SO many bottle-fed babies ole
are: Lack of knowledge of mothers in the proper
feeding of babes; dirty milk and improper care or
the milk in the home"
Again, many babies perish because their moth
ers not we'll informed as to the requirements
for proper clothing Ignorance regarding ventl-
lation is another fertile source of trouble.
In England investigation into mortality
among children less than FIVE years old showed
that deaths from diseases caused by defective de-
velopment and malnutriton. were 40 per cent
higher in poorly ventilated homes than in well
ventilated ones 80
The possibility of disease from uncleanliness
in the house is ignored or unappreciated by many
mothers. In the interest of the little child, as well
in the interest of the general family health,
unceasing warfare has to be waged against
dirt and dust. ...: ..
Finally, many mothers need education in the
important matter of prenatal care. Through lg-
norance of the precautions that should be taken
during pregnancy thousands of children do not
complete the first month of life.
Today fortunately, many agencies are at work
snreading helpful information on all these SUD
iects In the United States the government u
self has taken a hand, through the establishment
of a chiIdren's bureau and through the puohca-
ton of clearly written manuals for mothers.
Two of these, "Pre-Natal Care and n1anC
Care" should be read and re-read by every moth
or and prospective mother. To obtain them write
to the director of the Children's Bureau. united
States Department of Labor, Washington
Copyright 1916 by H. A. Bruce)