Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-02-24
INFANT MORTALITY
HIGH IN WILMINGTON
According to a Statement issued
by the Reconstruction
Commission

1, orIer In determine the exact results
,La, ha,,, becn obtained in Wilmington by
the work of the Reconstruction 1oiiihiS-
80, through is child health oenters,
.9a,a,la1 study of the infant mortality OF
- ,,,y has heea made Jointly by the
p.,.o,s,,,,rtinn Commission and the State
Roard of Health. In thus invesugatloI
VERY death of baby that was on the
,.antcr rolls has been charged up rs
eenter death, even though the Daby was
-, Int once and even though the parents
Ss;ia5 to cooperate and follow the IN
.trnct,ons of the physicians and nurses
"a IN, centcrs In some eases the BABY
,,as perfectlv we'll when II was last seen
-, The center nurse, but because IL had
been on the center records, It's death WAS
,ottnf,.l as a center death. Likewise IN
tant,. a ao were m their fatal sickness Wllch |
hr,t seen are counted, rs we'll as ihlah'S
~ li,,.d hut a few hours whose mothers
,,rr,. IN III, li~i for prenatal visits ~
otbrr words. nucNclusIonS have been mace
fnnfn the center death lists Tor any Ee''Soh'
~ that whatever conclusions are uia"H
IN, hnss.d uIpan the statistics least lHEoA-
able to the cOntcrs- rs mAt'el u ~
man, of the deaths that are credlted 10
-. ,,,..rs might legitImately be excluded, !
upr,, II not that the question wouIu iih-
n,ciatalv bc raised IN some quart
.bst th, statistics were padded Studies |
f.a.,1 npon the actual number OF center |
.,b,,s who's, mothers made al earnest /
.o,rt to follow the advice OF the physicians
an nurses are dtVIdcdly more taVoraole
tf,an thosa gwen here The total number oI
.T.r,nt bablcs under one year oi age on |
tbr center records during the year AS-o /
was ll61. The total number OF non
center babies under one year OF aee curing
sh, ve..r could not have eNceedcd tiie ,@a DoI.ii
iuh,r Of births durIng 1919 ana 49@oi
les, the l67 center babies nc mummy y, -
t,r.t,,blv far below tins inquire, ~ no aiIow-
.c,,s inole for the babies that died DUR
tae 1919. and the assumption Is made that
.,,r,. bah, born Al 1919 was III the city /
d,,r.,,, at ieast SOM, part OF the year IS@Q
Th, rutlhcr movlag INTO the cl1N Would
prnNaI4N balance iloss moving AWAY
irb,. esttr,atc which Is favorable 70 a low
no,.. c,..fer rate is 49, by giving the /
nou-cenfer bahv IN, benefit 81 every douot
W. hui mat the death rate among center
lqbi,S under ono year OF agr Is 20 oo
barI,.- compared 10 ! m 10 81 heil-ceIleT
..s.- 81 +. rtte about one-h"ll - llleh:
~.pcl.l rtu1ausOn 81 1Ae d'A'iA9 -
c,,.+, 4.4 ..-su uter baal,s under one
,..,... .g. 81 particular sl9nllcance /
.,ttt. we'll N.ayu that about IL per cent
t- u.ier one year Cf age oc-
..u ac tirst month OF lIfc- ne
..r-i .tu4.l center oatlcs under one
.n,1t 5, +, III 81 babies rs com
parri NTH Ia l9 aca-cvntcr bahles, OF
4 rat. aaly about oac-thsrd as high among +
..ent,t bahlc- Tas fact shows that the
s,ht must he reached by the center be-
~ .rN are one month ~ age, IL TACT, +
Iapu ,ctufr thry are born, as one baby +
,....Ih ga. 81 every slN N Wilmington
.blrine 1870 $, Cured before the baby was
ono ,lnv Old and s-s many such deaths
,serc from causes which have been pre-
vented by proper prenatal instruction f
..1d care Tor mothers. he death rate
arnonc aon-ccnter babies over one month .
of age Is l. per cent higher than among
center hahles-
From all the facts 1t is clear that the
deatl r.te among the center babes was
Ner, much lower than among the nom
r.pf,r aab.e~ Facilities for reaching twice
tar pr,sea, number OF babies would re-
.lt II twice as many lives saved.
gho infant mortality rate Tor lining
taa uring 1920 the number o. deathsol
..I.rtS under one wear OF age Per l,O0u
..rtn, was lis OF one death n every %
babies The rate In the CO. Gested New
ark. where intensive baby welfare work
has been conducted ior years, was sohee
81 one death Il every ll5 babies lie +
Wilmington rate Is stIll 81 per cent higher 1
tAan that of New y ork City.