Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-06-27
BUMPER WHEAT CROP
VS.. CROP OF BABIES
Prospects For Former No More
Encouraging Than For
The Latter
INFANT DEATHS GREAT


ing than the prospects for an unpre-
cedented crop Of babies
According TO the survey Of infant
mortality statistics CLEANED from Is3
OF the largest cities Of the United
States for 1917. just completed by the
New York Milk Committee. the baby
death rate o. the country has been
considerably lowered And with the
Federal Government fafhering a drive
% save I0o. 900 babies during the sec
ond year % Americas participation in
the war Il Is expected that the national
increase In population during 1918
VIII surpass the records Of all previ-
Gus years.
The infant death rate Tor the 163
cities above mentioned. all OF which
boast populations above 25.000, was
s75 IN this group there were 723I44
living births. OF these 70.4S1 died un-
Ger one year. Using these cities as a
basis ~ is estimated that the living
births in the nation tofaled 2.s7S.0 600.
This number subtracted from the
total deaths OF ali ages approximate
III 1.6sS 000) leaves a natural increase
IN Uncle Sans national family of
more than 100000.
The steady fall OF the baby death
rate is proof conclusive that organ
lied infant welfare work in many parts
of the country is giving the baby a
square deal from the start" said j. II.
Larson, secretary of the committee
due to the knowledge that is being
circulated concerning the benefits Of
prenatal care and the ever increasing
number of mothers receiving this
treatment the increase in last years
baby crop was large despite the war
and attending hard times With the
government conducting a campign to
save 100000 babies the infant mortal
ity rate for 1918 should reveal a fur
Their 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 to preserve its population in the
face of the loss of thousands of men
in battle and the surcease of immigra-
ton"
Though there is not much difference
among them analysis of the 1913 cities
which have made their infant mortal
ity rates public show that those with
populations under $4,000 have the best
environment for children and that
death among babies is more rife in
those larger cities where poor peo-
pie are more abundant and where liv-
ing conditions, consequently are more
congested. Cities under $4,000 in 1917
had baby death rate of 900, those
from $4,000 to 100000 a rate OF 974,
and those with populations above
100000, $50.
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 its population has in
creased With rapid strides during the
past decade there were 4.O41 less in
FAINT 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 pre-
natal treatment and the decided drop
in the baby mortality rate shows the
city to be reaping the benefits of ma
ternity care which was first intro
duced there by the New York Milk
Committee and which is now being
carried on by the Maternity Center
Association in cooperation with the
committee and kindred organizations.
The honor infant death rate among
the cities of 100000 or more prevailed
in Omaha, Neb., where the mark was
59.2, Close behind was Seattle, Wash,
with a rate of 59.4 OF all the cities in
the land Nashville, Tenn, with a popu-
lation of 110,364, had the highest rate
-1S2,2.
Fixing 100 as the present average
infant death rate of the United States
it is found that of the 43 cities of 100,-
600 population who reported is are
above this figure and % below. Those !
eighteen cities whose rates are above !
the century total. given in the order I
OF their size are Chicago. 106.0s: I
Philadelphia. 100; Cleveland. IO4.s: /
Baltimore. 1913; Pittsburgh. 1862; /
Detroit. 1886: Buffalo. 1887: New I
Orleans. 1875; Jersey City. 1873: 4
Louisville. HOS; Syracuse. 1913: /
147.5: Memphis. 1857;
Richmond. l345: Fan River. 1888;
Grand Rapids. 1919: Nashville. 1872.
and Albany 1882
There are ave honor roll cities who
boast infant death rates below SO.
These cities are all OF the class below
$4,000. Two OF them are in CaIifor-
mia. two in Massachusetts, and the
other in Wisconsin, as follows:
Berkeley, Cal, population 40.430. rate
4S.4: Everett. Mass, population 33.4S4,
rate ASS; La Crosse, Wis, population
S0,147, rate 1872: Brockline. Mass.
population 27.792. rate 4I2; Alameda.
Cal, population 1888. rate 4O.7.
Since 1912, when the New York Milk
Committee commenced its expert
nents with prenatal care stilIbirths
nave been reduced % per cent, death
under one month of age % per cent
and maternal deaths SO per cent be-
ow rates for the city in corresponding
years.