The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-08-10
CRILDUEN'S
BUREAU MAKES
ANOTHER REPORT
Every Mother Should Be Given
Chance to Learn How TO Protect
the Health Of Her Children
Says Report.


sity of giving every mother a chance
J to learn how to protect the health of
I her children and arousing the whole
community to its responsibility for
preventing infant deaths especially
under the pressure of war conditions
is evidenced by the figures contained
in the latest report of the Children's
Bureau of the United States Depart
ment of Labor. The report deals with
conditions surrounding 2,197 babies
born in Waterbury, Connecticut,
town of nearly rs thousand in 1918
whose population has increased rep
idly since the war because of the
brass and copper industries.
Waterbury has large foreign pop
ulation and little has been done to
place at the disposal of the many
Lithuanian and Italian mothers
knowledge of modern methods of hy-
giene. Many mothers speak no Eng
lish. The isolation of the foreign
born group is instanced by the fact
that three of the mothers interviewed
although born in this country, could
speak no English. For these mothers
few educational facilities are avail
| able Few of them seek the services
of the visiting nurses association.
Among the Lithuanian babies is the
largest number of babies whose births
are unrecorded. And in Waterbury
the health office had no record of 239
live births, or practically a seventh
of the total number occurring during
the year studied. When the birth is
unregistered the chance of receiving
from the organized health forces of
the community the aid at their com
mand is of course greatly lessened.
The Children's Bureau in present
ing the report emphasized particular
ly its bearing on the Children's Year
work to save 100000 babies. The in
tensive statistical study in Water
bury serves to point again the value
of classes for training mothers in the
feeding and general care of children.
Such classes have been inaugurated
in the District of Columbia and in
Seattle, Washington, for example, as
Children'sc Year follow-up work to
meet the needs of revealed by the
,yai1bipo ond paoourinu foot Df Ovpr
six million three hundred thousand
children. In those classes the an
swers are given to the questions many
times referred to the Children's Blu
reau. For hundreds of mothers find
ing by the weighing and measuring
test that their children are under
weight and presumably undernourish-
ed, are earnestly seeking from the
child welfare committees which have
been doing the weighing and measur-
ing information that will help their
children. These committees while
giving the desired instruction in child
care are also helping the mothers to
learn English, thereby strengthening
the mothers grasp of her new coun-
trys ways and preventing the break
in the family ties which comes when
the children grow up Americanized
and the parents fail to understand
their children's new ways and inter
ests. Public health nurses have been
increasing their work in Waterbury
since the Bureau made its study there.
And the public health nurse is anoth-
err means recommended by the Chill
dren's Bureau to help mothers get the
information they must have il 100000
babies lives are to be saved this year