Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-11-16
WOULD FREE
MOTHERHOOD
FROM DANGERS

The mortality q. American mothers
among the highest of many countries
and higher than some oriental nations.
taken with the needless loss of infant
lives, makes the choicest types of hui
man life seem cheap to US. The pas
sage of the Sheppard-Towner law
came about as challenge to reduce
this human waste A number of re-
medal mea sures are now in use under
the supervision Of the state board of
health. The major activity is the
operation of maternity and infant
health center in every county, estab-
lished in the most accessible place and
changed from year to year. This
county is now partner in the new life
saving enterprise.
Miss Boyes of Marshfeld, Wis,
public health nurse for maternity and
infant health centers for this district,
made plain the tragic situation in the
light Of vital statistics.
"More women of child-bearing age
lose their lives from diseases caused
by pregnancy and confinement" she
declared, than from any other cause
except tuberculosis. Why should child
bearing, perfectly normal function,
be classed with diseases at all?
"If a town of 10000 is destroyed by
fire or flood we are at once aroused to
measures of relief and prevention. A
merica loses her mothers in no such
spectacular way, but one by one
partly because it has been so from
time immemorial and we have acquir-
ed the habit of accepting this condi-
ton. 1t is high time We as men and
women realize the needlessness of this
loss and set ourselves about to find
remedy.
In 1919 in the death registration a.
rea embracing all but ten of the 48
states), 1890 mothers died from
causes incident to childbirth With
the maternal loss in the other ten
states, the total for the nation repre-
ANiAbC q mug oNlIIIiiG6 III ulULDcIIlODO
and q tragedy for additional thousands
Of motherless children.
Anywhere we look" Miss Boyes
continued, statistics are appalling,
and only the least bit of encourage
ment comes from those communities
where prenatal and postnatal work has
been done. Women who die of this
cause are lost at the time of their
greatest usefulness and need to their
families and the state, and they give
their lives in carrying out a function
regarded as the most important in
the world and at the same time phy-
Slclans remind us that the women who
die in childbirth are few in compari-
son with those who suffer preyentable
illness or lifelong impairment cf
health, and this not yet all the loss.
The wellbeing of her home and of her
children suffers; then there is the
motherless infant. Even a poor mo-
ther IS better than no mother at all,
and there are not so very many poor
mothers"
The Children's Bureau SURVEYED
these conditions in two Wisconsin coun
ties few years ago. The survey
revealed surprising lack of medical
and nursing care at confinement, as
well as before and after. 1t showed
that great risks are run. that too
much dependence is placed on grand
mothers and neighbors and not enough
on skilled service
In 1920 the state of Wisconsin lost
33S mothers from causes connected
with childbirth. There were also
1865 deaths Of babies under one year,
of which number 2,613 were under one
month. The total births in the year
were 59,2G9
Under Sheppard -Towner plans, pre-
natal care is especially emphasized for
saving maternal lives. This includes
explaining personal hygiene and the
need for it, urinalysis, examination of
circulatory conditions, care of diet with
with note of weight increase, pelvic
measurements, explanation of symp-
toms of eclampsia or kidney trouble .
and instruction regarding care in con-
finement and the post-partum period
The maternity and child health CEN
ter for this section will open at the
Court House Friday morning, Nov. II
instead of Thursday, as was planned
last week. DR.. Van Cleve and Miss
Boyes will be here to welcome, exam
inc and advise all who will come anc
avail themselves of the opportunity
LECTURE COURSE