The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-11-11
BABIES THRIVE
En- NEW. ZEALAND

a. study made by the United
States Department Of. Labor
tl;rongh the child1en,s Bureau. the
report Of which is made public to-
day. has shown close relation
between organized infant welfare
work and a striking reduction in
the number OF infantsdeaths in New
Zealand. The New Zealand infant
mortality rate is lower than that OF
any otker country in the world for
1919 the. number Of deaths of in
kanfs: under one year OF age. was
only s. 30 every Gee live. births,
as compared with 81 in the United
States birth registration area The
results OF the study, published un-
der the title. Infant Mortality and
Prevention Work in New Zeaz
lald,s are of special interest on ac-
count OF the present nation wide
sEart under the Sheppard-Town
act TO reduce infant nortalit in the
United States.
The significance of the report
hes in its indication that while
mod crate climate, racial homo
geneity. high economic and intel
leetuaf level, good housing, and 9TH
er conditions help to- explain New
Zealandss low rate, they do not ac-
count for the pronounced decrease
in the rate in the last so years,
since during this period improve
naents in these conditions either
did not occur or were not Me-
.npunced. The reduction has been
especially marked for the past 10
TO / s. years. through q lessening Of
the number of;.deaths from gastric
and Intestinal an1 from respira-
Tory diseases those occurring
with greatest frequency in the
months, respectively, Of highest
and lowest temperatures.
The most important influence in
the recent reductioa is undoubted-
,sy. the Children's Bureau report
declares, the work OF the Royal
New Zealand Society for the Health
OF Women and Children organized
in 1907. This society is subsidized
by. the government. and It's work
has extended tc. all the prin ,ipaI
cities and many Of the outlying re-
gions Of the Dominion. At spe-
cial hospital Of the society, nurses
known as "FlnnEet nurses" (ia
honor Of a former governors wife,
are given intensive postgraduate
training in the care of babies, and
then employed by the local
branches to give free advice and
assistance TO all mothers of the
community. Popular education in
.mothercraft' is also promoted
through free distribution Of PAM
ghlets, publication in the newspa-
pers Of a regular column on "ous
Babies and the natural passing
on Of information among the wo-
men Of the society. The value OF
naateral nursing is the subject
which has been especially empha-
sized in this educational work.
The number OF trained nurses
available TO mothers throughou,
the Dominion has also been in
creased by the establishment Of
several state maternity hospitals
with courses for. nurses training.
and by the registration and train
ing Of raidwiyes. Private hospitals
are licensed and inspected, and
homes in which children under 6
vears of age are boarded apart
from their mothers have since 1907
been regulated by the department.
of education. which employs train
ed inspectors. During the period
from 1908 to 1913 the death rate
per 900 infants in foster homes
was reduced from 143 to 81. The
production and sale of milk, follow
ing special acts in 1907 and 1908
have been strictly regulated by the
!. goyel .lment.
Marion. Ill. Nov. 9.-The selec-
ton of a jury to try five men
/. charged with murder in connection