The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1919-01-18
THE CHILDREN'S BUREAU OF
THE UNITED STATES DEPART
MENT OF LABOR.

Washington, D. C.-The failure of
the United States to provide ade-
ouate care for mothers before and
at the birth of their children and the
great loss of maternal and infant life
which results are cited by Miss Julia
C. Lathrop, in her sixth annual re-
port as Chief of the Children's Blu
reau of the u. S. Department of La
Dor as evidence that the United
States should develop on a national
scale facilities for protecting ma
ternity and infancy and thereby for
cutting down the maternal and infant
death rates. The adoption of SINH
lar measures for the protection Of
mothers and babies in England and
New Zealand has been followed by
material reductions in their infant
death rates.
The English Government in Au-
gust, 1918, passed a measure ex-
tending local provision for the care
of mothers with Government aid. New
Zealand has for several years pro-
vided special facilities for mothers
and has reduced its infant mortality
rate from s8.8 in 1907 to 1872 in
1917-a rate less than half that of
the United States. The report sug-
gets provision in the United States
through Government contribution to
State activities in a manner similar
to that in which Federal aid is now
granted for vocational education,
better framing, and good roads.
The Bureaus studies show that
adequate care before and at child
birth is now available for few moth
ers whether in city or country.
Scarcely a mother in any Of the wide
lly separated rural areas studied by
the Bureau had prenatal care meas
uring up to an accepted standard Of
adequacy, and more than three
fourths had no medical supervision
or advice. The report states that
even in the cities in which pioneer
work is being done for prenatal care
many mothers have no skilled care
either at childbirth or before.
The seriousness of these conditions
is emphasized by the fact that in
1915, for instance, more than two
fifths of the infant deaths occurring
in the birth registration area Of the
United States Census Bureau were
from diseases directly traceable to
the care and condition Of the mother
during pregnancy and confinement.
That is, at least one baby in every
LIS born died from these causes.
The actuel loss of infant life in
the first month shows no decrease
from year to year, although the re-
suits of infant welfare work have be-
gun to appear in a lowered death
rate among babies who have survived
the hazards Of early infancy. This
decrease is chiefly in deaths from gas
tic and intestinal diseases. It is to
be noted that in 1916 about twice
as many babies under one year Of age
died from causes related to the care
and condition of the mother as from
gastric and intestinal diseases. Sim
ilariy, Census Bureu figures indicate
that no reduction In maternal deaths
has been accomplished from 1900 to
1916, although each year some 15, 200
mothers in the United States have
been dying from causes that are
largely preventable.
| While the lack Of adequate care Is
general and the resulting loss Of ma
ternal and infant life great in this
country the results Of provisions for
better care in other countries lead to
the accommodation that nationwide
effort be made to provide better care
in the United States for mothers and
sbabies.