The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-06-25
BUMPER BABY CROP
PROMISED THIS YEAR
And the Wee Chap Are to Have q
Better Chance To Survive and
Grow Fat Than Heretofore.
NUTRITION is IMPROVED
Sanitary Requirements More Fully
Understood aud Organized Efforts
Are Bringing AbDIt Favorable Con-
ditions.

Predictions for a bumper wheat
crop this year are no more encourag-
ing than the prospects for an unpre-
cedented crop of babies.
According to the survey of infant
mortality statistics CLEANED from 1853
of the largest cities OF the United
| States for 1917. just completed by the
| New York milk .o.nniittee. the baby
death rate of the country has been
considerably lowered And with the
federal government fathering drive
10 save 100000 babies during the sec
ond year of Americas pa ticipation
in the war it Is expected thai the.
natural national increase in popula
ton during 1913 will surpass the re-
cords of all previous years
The infant death rate for the 1913
cities above mentioned, all of which
boast populations above $4,000. was
| 90. In this group there were T23,
| l44 living births. OF these 70,4S1
died under one year. Using these
cities as a basis it Is estimated that
/ the living births In the nation totaled
2,67S, 900. This number suntracted
from the tota. deaths OF all ages sap
proximately 1.e4S.00o) leaves /. ma
tural increase in Uncle Sans na.pral
! femily of more than 100000
rate is proof conclusive that organized
infant welfare work in many parts of
/ the country Is giving the baby
81, are deal from the start" said J.
/ H. Larson, secretary of the Gommit-
tee. Due to the knowledge that is
being circulated concet uing she bene-
fits OF prenatal care and the ever in
cYeasing number of mothers receiv-
ing this treatment the increase In last
years baby crop was large despite
/ the war and attending hard times
With the government conducting
campaign to save 100000 babies the
infant mortality rate for 1918 should
reveal a further decrease. This is the
time when infant welfare work should
be spread everywhere, for healthy
/ babies are the only means whereby
the nation can hope 10 preserve its
+ population In the face of the loss of
! thousands of men in battle and the
surcease of immigration"
Though there is not much difference
among them analysis OF the 1853 cities
which have made their infant mortai-
~ rates public show those with popu-
! lations under $4,000 have the best
| environment for children and that
| death among babies is more rife in
! those larger cities where poor people
are more abundant and where living
conditions. consequently are more CON
geeted Cities under $4,000 in 1917
| had a baby death rate of 9. those
from $4,000 TO 100000 rate OF 974
! 100. 900. a82.
New York city the metropolis of
the country, has reached the lowest
baby death rate in its history, and
ranking lower than any other world
city Although it's population has In
creased with rapid strides during the
past decade there were 4,04t less
/ infant deaths last year than occurred
/ in 1907. Since then. when the infant
mortality rate was 1853, there has
been constant decrease TO SIS.
/ New York is now one OF the centers
OF. prenatal treatment and the decided
drop in the baby mortality rate shows
4 the city to he reapinE the benefits of
maternity care which was first in
troduced there by the New York milk
| committee and which is now being
carried on by the Maternity Center
association In cooperation with the
com mittee and kindred organizations.
! The honor infant death rate among
the cities of 100. 900 or more pre-
vailed In Omaha. Nebraska where
! the mark was 59,2 Close behind was
Seattle. Washington, with a rate OF
tSa4 OF all the cities in the land
| Nashville. Tennessee. with porula-
! ton of 1t0,S64 had the highest rate
1892.
I Good Chewing.
( The American soldiers" said Maj.
Frederick Palmer. the press censor,
have proved themselves in France,
and are very highly admired there.
OF course. this doesn't prevent the
keen witted French from Joking
about our idiosync rasies
There's story in France con-
corning two poilus on guard duty az
night. Suddenly one of them holds
up his hand and mutters:
Listen" 'Squish, squash, squosh.
What can 1t be, mon vieux7 A Ger
man division advancing through the
nude
No said the other poilu ca.
nervous. Marcel. II is only the
Americans farther down the line
| chewing their gum ration" WASH
Z -