Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-17

Washington, d. c.. Nov. 1.-THE
year 1871 was a healthy one for Amer
lean babies-comparatively speaking.
According to the exhaustive report just
issued by the American Child Hygiene
association, the infant death rate last
year was 77.9 per thousand births.
This figure is still large enough to he
q reproach to the nation, but it may
be compared with the infant death rate
of 1918 which was 1867. In other
words, of every 1000 babies born in
survived in 1921 than in 1918.
The shocking infant mortality of the
United States is slowly but surely be-
ing cut down as mothers, doctors, and
nurses are educated in the proper ways
OF rearing children. For many years
the county regarded this ~preyentable
defamation of it's infants With apathy,
believing it to be the inevitable ac-
compartment of modern life. In 1908
those who were aware that the lives
of countless thousands of infants might
be saved by the application of intel
llgence, began the campaign for better
ment. In that year the American Child
Hygiene association tit first had an
other name), was organized under the
auspices of the American Academy of
uha 40 thC SdLiA1LlVa II
this society has expanded and as it's
energy and influence have grown, the
infant death. rate has steadily declined.
1t is a conspicuous example of the
value OF volunteer effort in civic inn
provement.
In fact, the direct connection be-
tween the education of the public by
attested methods and the health of
infants is now SO well recognized that
it has become an axiom with the as
ISOLATION that given proper ~organiza-
ton IN a community, and enough
money, decline in the infant death rate
can be predicted mathematical1y."
The American Child Hygiene associ-
alton was the first in the field, but it
IS now not alone. During the war
there was organized in New York the
Child Health Organization Of America
to instill habits of health into Amer
lean school children. With its health
calendars for children, its health songs
and plays, and, more spectacularly.
with "Cho-chos the Health Clown.
familiar to tens of thousands of Amer
ican school children, this organization
has been doing valuable practical work.
Also within the past 10 years the
Children's bureau was created as part
OF the department. of labor. and this
official bureau works in close co-ope-
ration with the two volunteer bodies.
At it's recent annual meeting in
Washington. the American Child Hygi-
enc association voted to ~amalgamate
with the Child Health Organization OF
America. following similar action
previously taken by the latter group.
The process of combining is now being
carried through. Thus in one body will
be combined the whole national volun-
teer effort seeking to improve the
health of American children.
VIII Enter New Field
Since the Child Hygiene association
has concerned itself almost exclusively
with children under one year of age
and the Child Health Organization has
dealt with children of school age, there
has remained the province Of the pre-
school child which has been untouched.
The new combined organization ex-
poets soon to go into this field. Ii is
important territory, too, because in
the pre-schoei years are developed the
defects found so prevalent among school
children. A vast amount Of work is
needed in this field to secure proper
dental treatment for children who need
it but do not discover their need until
they start to school. to secure also
better nutrition for children of these
years, and TO combat the contagious
diseases Of childhood. Those az the
head of the new organization believe
that the epidemics Of measles. whoop-
ing cough, and other maladies now re
garded as inevitable for children can
be much better controlled.
Originally the work of the Amer
lean Child Hygiene association was
| 1,stn SaIbriaaj ata1 49,
relied largely upon physicians TO dis
tribute its messages 10 mothers in
need of correct training. hat now its
scope is far wider. Besides its re-
search and its technical studies, the
association now works directly upon
the population through its own local
branches by setting up health centers
and distributing it's literature written
for popular reading. One of its main
efforts has been 10 encourage the es-
tablishment Of child hygiene bureaus
in the state boards of health. In 1917
there were only 10 sub-bureaus: now
there are Al. These child hygiene bu-
reaus conduct educational work AMONG
doctors and nurses, check lp local milk
supplies. and look into housing and
sanitary conditions Of homes.
Statistical Work Extended
The most conspicuous piece Of re-
search work conducted by the ~associa
tion is its annual survey Of infant NOR
tally. This survey is steadily grow
ing in scope. The first one was made
in 1919, when the infant mortality in
$50 American cities was studied. In
1920 the report covered $40 cities.
The 1921 survey. which has only re
Gently been completed. embraced 513
cities. in which live more than 10000,
600 people. Thus the report is by far
the widest view ever given in infant
mortality in the United States.
One significant point made by the
report is that the larger the city. az q
rule. the lower its infant death rate,
Cities OF from 10000 to $4,000 popu-
lation showed Il death rate of S2.3 per
thousand: the largest cities-those OF
over 10000 population each-showed
as a group I'm infant death rate oil
only 49, per thousand.
The Pacific coast cities made q
splendid showing in the survival OF
their infants, Portland, Ore, with II
deaths per thousand births having low
est infant death rate in 1921 of any