The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-03-27


had lost six. of Them all but enc of the
six dying before reaching the first
She had no idea what |
caused the death of any except the
three year old girl, who had been quar- |
antined with measles at the time of |
her death. Another Lithuanian mother |
who had borne nine children had lost
five, none of them reaching the eighth
month of life, but she could give no
as to the cause of any of
the deaths; the death certificate for
the last child stated the cause of death
as ''marasmus and exhaustion The
same ignorance of the causes of infant
deaths was displayed by a Lithuanian
mother who had lost 10 of the Is live
children she bore. Their ages at the
time of death ranged from five weeks
to one year and not one was premature.
The inquiry also brought to light
the fact that many weird superstitions
of Italian origin were furnishing with
the old world vigor. Charms to
ward off the Chances from the "evil
eye" and ''charm breakers for those
who had been bewitched' were, in
opinion of many italian mothers, i'm
portant factors in the reduction of in
FAINT mortality. That there was suffi
cient popular opinion to this effect to
make "charm breaking profitable
was evidenced by two italian women
who supported themselves entirely by
this peculiar occupation.
Zone mother described. with great
emotion, their home in Italy on the
outskirts of Naples. The father left
them to go to the United States and
three years later sent for his wife and
children. Then she said: Food and
beauty-they are not so plentiful in
this country; but there are not so many
witches, and that is better When
questioned about witches she said that
both of her children who died in in
fancy were perfectly "well, happy
and beautiful until suddenly they
grew thin to skin and bones and died
within two weeks No doctor could
discover the cause. Finally, one of the
family remembered that the mother
had changed midwives, and immedi-
ately they knew that the midwife who
had been supplanted was the witch who
had caused the death of the babies.
AN 1S-year did neighbor of this
Italian mother came in at this point
in the story She was born in the
United States and had been educated
in the public schools, but she still held
firmly to the traditions of her people
When asked if she believed in witches
she said: Yes. indeed OF course to
be a witch a girl baby must be born at
| midnight at Christmas A boy baby
born at that time always has some
mark of an animal, such as claws OF
patch of fur somewhere on his body
| He is never quite right and has not q
! witch's powers. 1t was the same girl
who told of the two women who sold
| love potions and charms to ward of
| the evil eve, and also treated the ba-
| bies who had been bewitched.
Another Italian mother who had
had nine pregnancies had a miscar
riage, followed by a stillbirth and an.
other miscarriage; and the last baby
died al the age of Is days When
| questioned as to the cause she simply
stated that the last baby had been be
witched. The death certificate showed
capillary bronchitis.
= 1t requires q great deal of patient
work to substitute for such deep-rooteC
superstition knowledge of and BELLE
| in the modern methods of infant care
1t is not a task for any one person o.
! group of persons, bat it needs the com
bined forces of the city health depart
ment, the local nursing organizations
social workers in all branches, tn,
churches, and the parents themselves.