The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-12
: TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM A TON
Blu RE AU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
Washington. D. C
CHILDREN AND THE WAR
I.-Infant Morality.
Washington. D. c.

wake OF prolonged war, because II Is |
the ultimate result of-all other war
evils and because il renders virtually
impotent all efforts toward reconstruc-
ton. The babies of today are the ma
ton of top1orrow--upon them viii fall
the task of guiding it thru the rock
ridden channels of the next genera
ton. If the children of the present
age are made strong, viriie and ade-
quately equipped, the nation will
pass safely thru the difficult course;
II they are weak. undernourished and
mentally underdeveioped, the nation
must look forward to decline and per-
haps to decay
Realizing fully the seriousness OF
the situation, the government is now
deVoting a tremendous deal of atten-
ton to the work of saving the babies
of the United States. Thru the child
rens bureau of the department of la
| bor the women's committee of the
Council of National Defense, it is eff
| fecting a great organization for this
purpose 1t has already enlisted more
than eleven million women and pro-
yided more than IL, 100 local units. In
many instances the jurisdiction of
| these units has been narrowed down to
| twenty-five families, and when the or
ganization is complete, each mother in
America will be assured OF expert in
Struction in the care of her children.
| Of necessity, large part OF the
| child welfare campaign will be direct
ed toward the large industrial centers
of the country, where owing to deplor-
| able housing conditions, lack of proper
| recreat ton areas and other causes, in
| FAINT mortality figures show signs of
| taking an alarming increase. An1l1us-
| tration of this is given in a report
by Miss Estelle B. Hunter to the child
| ren's bureau, of an investigation into
I conditions prevalent in Waterbury.
/ Connecticut. Waterbury is typical of
| off Oh "
the overnight development of gigantic
l'war industries.
/ Causes of infant mortality in Water
bury, as detailed by Miss Hunter. are
catholic enough to admit of general
| application. The predominating medi-
cal causes were gastric and intestinal
diseases, and closely following, (al-
most third of all cases reported).
| were congenitaI debility and prema-
ture birth. The first causes imply i'm
proper care of the infant, particularly
| in regard to feeding. and congenital
debility indicates improper care of
| the mother during tbs period before
birth. Such conditions are themselves
the evolution of other conditions, for
example, poverty, faulty environment,
ignorance and neglect. d,
Of course, all infant deaths cannot
be directly traced to these conditions,
= but they We're undoubtedly a consid-
| cradle factor in many OF them. Gas
. trio diseases and intestinal disorders
are largely preventable, and are usual
ly the result of improper feeding. In
/. this connection might be mentioned
the problem of artificial feeding. The
. best authorities on this subject pre-
scribe that, wherever possible, babies
should be fed from the breast. but
where weakness on the part of the
mother or other reasons prevent this,
artificial feeding should be admins
: tered with the greatest care. Many
mothers who are unable to buy good
grade of cows milk. substitute con-
densed milk for their babies. Infants
fed on condensed milk often become
, fat, but as a rule they show feeble re-
sistance to the attacks of disease
Authorities say that there are few
I children fed exclusively on condensed
milk who do not show evidence OF
ricketts,, and its prolonged use some
!, times results in scurvy.
Ignorance, and with it a fatalistit
acceptance of death, is another large
= contributor to the high rate of infan
:, mortality. This is particularly true
y of foreign born mothers. Miss Hunter
b tells of one mother of Waterbury
3 Lithuanian colony who lost five chill
dren-an of them fed from the star
from the bottle. For their deaths sh
y gave the laconic explanation "stom
d ach trouble" Another mother In
formed the investigators that her 81;
months old baby had died of q sever
cold. The death certificate OF thl
n child showed "ma1nutrition and bron
= chitis.''
G. About 80 per cent of all infan
l. deaths in Waterbury were due to con
= ditions before birth or to accident a
y, birth. Just how many of these death
. might have been prevented, the Chill
X dren's Bureau cannot estimate, but
- believes that a large proportion Q
h them might have been ayerted ha
proper care BEEN taken Of the moth
20 ers. Mothers should be educated i
h the care of themselves during pree
\, nancy, and thruout this state should b
under attention of skilled obstetricfan
u and competent nurses. Such thing
Of however, are beyond the means of
J. great many women, nor does extren
r. poverty provide a suitable abundane
- and variety of food. Economic stres
sy often makes it necessary for pregnar
ly women to continue at employment u
Is until the very hour of labor, in tn
=, way shutting themselves off from ii
so care essential to the bearing of health
lg children.
Nv Conditions of this sort might b
- reu,edied to some extent by the essat
- lisf ment of moderately priced col
in finement services. Hundreds of il
90 fants would be saved to communit
mn in a year, and a material reductio
would be made in the enormot
s. amount of suffering which makes s
many women dread to face the tas
OF maternity.
Essentially a manufacturing tow
Waterbury has for its chief industrit
OF the production of bronze and bra'
c. manufa ctures. This, of course, h;
"a been considerably extended by II
war program, and several new indu
nj tries have been developed as a resa
es- of the war. More than one-third
lin the factory operatives supporting fan
-, lilies were found by the investigate
h.
an This included the fathers of 2.1e7 il
We fants. Very often this scant sum hs
of tn be supplemented by the earnings
the mother. who. by unduly exertiI
Ms her self during the critical stages
T. pre- gnancy and post maternft
ar- brought harmful consequences on he
of SEA anu "ei oii'iui GU