New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-06-06
"STARVING BABIES"
Mhs Remarkable Conclusions Questioned by S Mcclure
Who Denies the Professors Report of His Confession
and Offers Some Official Figures

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: In your issue of last Saturday Dr. Won
Mach returns TO his old theme OF trying to
prove that because Germany has 80 to 40 per
cent less milk on account of the blockade
than in former years, the German people are
permitting the present reduced supply of
milk 10 be used sd lbitum by the population
and have neglected taking such measures as
would insure the babies, first of all, the milk
they must have TO maintain health and life.
What would be thought of A family whose
supply of milk was suddenly reduced from
three quarts day to two quarts day neg
lecting the baby, the adults using the ord-
nary amount?
! am just back from Germany. where I
spent most of the time between January 6
and April 26 Just before leaving Germany
got this statement from Dr. Breger, of the
Imperial Insurance Department:
Health of the German Population During the
War, by Dr. Breger, of the Imperial Insur-
ance Department
"The health of the German nation during
the war has been excellent. The mortality of
in fants has decreased. The Board of Health
has published statistics Of the large towns,
which show a decrease in the birth rate, but
this decrease was in the summer season
roarly half compensated by corresponding
decrease of infants deaths"
Dr. Won Mach speaks of my confession"
that the latest figures at my disposal we're
those Of December, 1915, land that in De
cember the infant mortality rate in Berlin
suddenly jumped from the low figures in Oc-
tcber and November about 10 in 1907 10 the
enormous figure of 16l2 in 100" This IS a
m isleading statement)
II DR.. Won Mach were an irresponsible
newspaper correspondent would not hesita G
to call him an extraordinarily inaccurate
man. | explained to Professor Won Mach,
first, that had the latest statistics anybody
had, so that so far as statistics were con-
cerned there was no proof as to increased
irfant mortality. Ny statistics were for 1915.
Secondly, that as late as April. months after
Dr. Won Mach, by esoterc means had de-
cided that the German men and women were
guiding their usual allowance of milk and
sehshly neglecting their babies. ! was told
in writing and in conversation with officials
that the health of the babies was better than
ever before in the history of Germany and
that was true just because this marvellously
efficient and well organized people had taken
&C ntrol of the distribution of milk. Their
motto everywhere was Babies first" and
next nursing mothers, little children and
pregnant mothers.
The portion of Professor Won Mach's let
ter where he refers to the jump in child NOR
tally for December, 1915, and refers to my
confession" is the one that shakes my con-
hGence most in Professor Won Mach.
told him what the officials of Berlin told
me, that the number of deaths recorded each
month was not the exact number Of deaths
that occurred in that month"; death might
occur in October and be recorded in Novem-
ber-and that to get the correct monthly
average il was necessary 10 take three
month periods. December being the last
r,cnth in the year special effort was made
to get complete record. so that the number
of deaths recorded in December is always
larger than in the preceding months.
But even so. the deaths in December, 1915
we're smaller than in December 1913 or 1914
Gin part because of the decreased birth rate).
Here are the tables of deaths by months Tor
three years. and there were seven months in
1915 in which more babies died than in De-
cember, 1915: