The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-04-02
CHILD WELFARE WORK
Grenada County Department of
Health.

the Grenada county Department OF
Health has set forth facts, figures,
and plans relative to health and hy-
giene as it pertains to children of
school age, and facts have been set
forth concerning better health con-
ditions in general. Another very i'm
portant phase Of health work to be
considered is that Of Infant Welfare,
which comprises parental work and
work among the children of pre-
school age.
In years past, much progroess has
been made toward the care and con-
|servation of domestic animals, game,
land, and of other resources but un-
til recently very little has been done
toward care and conservation of child
life. There has been a universal neg
lect as is shown in the following facts
and figures concerning maternal and
infant mortality in the United
States.
Every year in our country, 10000
mothers lose their lives from condi-
tions caused from child birth. In a
list Of 16 countries United States
stands fourteenth respecting matern-
al mortality. In 1913 child birth
caused more deaths among women is
to "A years old than any other dis
ease except tuberculosis; it caused
in the same year among the same age
group between three and four times
as many deaths as typhoid fever. In
other countries there has been de-
crease in the maternal mortality, but
not so in the United States. The ty-
phoid death rate in this country has
been cut in half; the tuberculosis
rate markedly reduced; the diptheria
rate reduced more than half, but ma
ternal mortality has not been re-
duced. Our enemies are chiefly lack
of information and poverty--from a
community point of view, mostly lack
of information.
The infant mortality in our coun-
try is as alarming as the maternal
mortality. In 1916 we know that
1874 500 babies died in the first year
of their life. More than $4,000 of
them died before they had completed
the first month of their life. Half
the infants dying the first year of
life die during the fist six weeks af-
ter birth. In 1915 more children died
from conditions related to the health
and care of the mother than from
improper care, improper feeding or
infectious diseases. AS shown by the
Children's Bureau $500 of the
164 $50 infants deaths were related
to natal and prenatal causes; 3d.
327 were due to gastro-intestinal dis
eases; 23,716 were due to respiratory
diseases; 1852 were due to cpl
demic diseases and 1926 were due to
other causes.
These facts and figures plainly
speak the universal neglect in our
country along the line of infant well
fare. The day has passed however,
when the United States shall neglect
it's important duty-namely. the care
and conservation of child life. Our
national government, state govern
ment, county and municipal govern
ment, as we'll as all organized social
agencies have united in one great eff
fort to insure better health to moth
ers and babies. Any community, in
the light of the present-day knowl-
edge of health and preventive meth
ods, can practically determine its
own infant and maternal mortality
rate. There is need for wide spread
education of the general public In
the significance of and necessity for
maternal and infant health.
In localities where the campaign OF
education has been carried on, the
death rate among mothers and in
fants has been reduced from 10 to
so percent. The Grenada County
Department of Health plans to CO.
operate with the agencies OF this
county in an effort to bring about
better maternal and infant health
conditions in the county. This ef-
fort will be directed toward distrib-
uting literature which will enlighten
the public; a careful study will be
made of local conditions and causes
of infant and maternal mortality to-
gether with methods of prevention;
a special effort will be made to regu-
late the practice and standard of
This is a problem which
bears directly upon the health and
vigor of both mothers and babies and
can not be over-emphasized. An eff
fort will also be made to secure COM
pleCe Dlrlu ToglSCIdIIOu anu CuSfSoy
insure children their rights. The plan
of the Board of Health is to develop
all that is practical in this county
through the medium of literature, lee
lures, and demonstrations, weighing
and measuring of babies, infant well
fare stations and public health nurse.
Work for infant welfare is coming
to be regared as more than philan-
thropy or an expression of good will.
It is a profoundly important public
which tests the public spirit |
and democracy of a community. |
There is, perhaps no better sign of
the modernness of state or COM
than the proportion of its
energy and income which is assigned
to the protection of infancy and child
hood. Grenada County expects to
meausre up in every way with the
and development of other
anh in doing SO health |
ier and stronger children will be the |