The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1920-04-15
WERE YOURS ONE OF THEsE7


WERE YOURS ONE or THESE7
How the other half is born ehallen-
ges attention. Inaccessibility Of medi-
cal and nursing aid, according to stud
les Of maternity care in 6 rural areas
OF States made by the Children's
Bureau of the U. S. Department of
Labor. is responsible for much suffer
ing and even death.
In a northwestern county and in q
southeastern county there were nearly
twice as many persons per physician
as the average for the United States;
in southern mountain county there
we're four times as many A vast
area in the far northwest, larger than
the State of Connecticut, was served
by three registered doctors. More
over, most Of the doctors in every
rural county were located at the
county seat, while the remoter parts
of the county were entirely without
medical service.
More than one-third of the families
in the far northwestern county stud
led we're 20 miles or more from the
nearest doctor, 10 being from so to
100 miles away. In southern county
more than one-fouith of the families
were 10 miles or more from doctor,
and in another county 25 miles was
not an uncommon distance.
Actual miles were not the sole OBJ
stacle to obtaining medical help at
confinement. Rough roads, crossed by
rivers; slippery mountain trails, al
most impossible at best, become to-
tally so under bad weather conditions.
As a result doctors arrive from sever
Al minutes to "a hours too late to de-
liver their patients. Many families
discouraged by repeated failures to
get doctor in time, are tempted to Do
without one altogether; to others the
thought Of a doctor does not occur un-
less the patients condition becomes
critical.
In n southern county only GS out of
100 mothers had doctor at their last
confinement; in only out Of 66 con-
finement cases in a northern county
was a physician secured; and in still
another more than two-thirds Of the
women did not have a physician when
their babies were born. Three were
entirely alone, and 46 had only their
husbands in attendance.
Women would in many cases leave
home for confinement if hospitals were
within reach. But one $500 mile area
had no hospital; neither had the south
ern mountain county. Reaching a hos
pital meant journey Of several days
by wagon trail, or one by stage across
the roughest Of mountain roads.
In large number Of cases the
mother has no nursing care except
that given by an unframed hired girl,
relative, or a neighbor. Figures
ggthered from five rural counties are
small in number but appalling in sig
nifieanse: 45 out Of 50 babies: % out
of 2s; IL out Of IS; 10 out Of is; 10
out of II babies who died, died before
they were a month old.
These figures are further corrobo-
rated By the Bureau of the Census
which gives the increase in infant NOR
tality rates from premature birth and
injuries at birth. The first had increas-
81 from It's in 1910 to 2l.i in 1917,
and the other from SO in 1910 70 i.6 in
1917. These excessive rates are due
to the condition Of the mother and IN
dicate plainly that motherhood is not
receiving the protection il needs. As
the Census report itself says: these
Increases should serve as food for
thought"