Omaha daily bee., 1919-07-20
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"Better Babies, in England


In connection with the National
| Baby Week celebrations, national
conference on infant welfare opened
in the Kingsway hall. Sir Arthur
Newsholme presided at the morning
session, at which there was a large
attendance of delegates representing
local authorities.
The minister of health, DR.. Addi-
son. in his inaugural address said II
was a singularly fitting thing that
on the day when the powers dealing
with health were formally trans
ferred to the ministry of health the
first duty of the minister should be
90 preside at a conference on infant
care, for If they were to formulate
and carry out we'll considered
schemes for improving the health
of the people they must begin at the
cradle. For the last three years the
average death rate for infants was
below 100 per 1000. They hoped
to see it so per 1000 in the near
future. (Hear, hear.). They must
have as an addition to that i'm
proved rate Of mortality a vast i'm
proyement in the health of the
mothers and of the children who
survived, The ministry Of health
recognized that one of their first
steps must be to develop their as
sistance for all branches Of service
connected with the ante-natal and
infant care, and it was on that ac-
count that a department dealing
with maternity and infant care had
been established. They had a large
number Of centers of one kind or
another dealing with infant well
fare. Some of them had been hith-
erto assisted by the board of edu-
cation and some by the local govern
ment board. resting in both cases
to a great extent on voluntary serv-
ices for their conduct. All these
centers now came under one de-
partment, and that in itself was a
vital matter. y
They must devote their efforts, he
went on. in such a way that the CEN
ters were acceptable and sought
after. So far as his department was
concerned, they would keep that
fundamental need in view right
through, and would be no parties
to needless "stickiness" or cut-and-,
dried, hard-and-fasr methods, be-
cause they had still lot to learn
as to the best way of dealing with
the problems Of infant life in such
a manner as would be attractive and
acceptable to the people. They
needed a great many more matern-
ity hospitals or homes of the right
kind. BY a maternity home was
meant q place probably small in
size and simply equipped for giving
assistance in maternity cases. They
were wanted in considerable num-
bers both in towns and in country
districts. Linked up with that was
the necessity for a more generous
provision Of maternity hospitals
where the higher form of skilled
assistance for difficult cases would
be available. They must secure. the
hearty cooperation and the con-
fidence Of the midwives throughout
the country. (Hear, hear.) They
looked to greatly improved train
ing Of midwives and better and
higher standards Of employment and
pay to bring them in adequate num-
bers into the general scheme and |
service. The assistance of the |
medical profession was also needed. |
One necessity was the spread of |
common, knowledge among the |
mothers, who often lived under very |
housing conditions. |
1t was hoped that these disabilities
would be removed. In the new /
housing bill they were inserting
powers to prescribe the minimum |
requirements of a decent home, not |
in general terms but in specific |
matters.
1--WE have just signed treaty of |
peace" said DR.. Addison, land we |
hope now to turn our minds to the
affairs of peace Housing educa- |
ton, and fresh air, town planning,
nurses, midwives, medical facilities
all these things Immediately |
emerge as requiring attention di-
rectly you begin to tackle these
problems. We look forward with
to the work in which