Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-23
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

criminal adult, with his mind set
against society. 1t may be that his home
environment makes him resentful; ind
out and try to remedy that condltlon.
X X X X
It is with some such ideal that the
Children's Bureau Of the Department Of
Labor has been operating since 1912.
but with more particular attention paid
to the health Of child and mother. the
movement for such bureau originated
in President Roosevelts administrator
and was urged by him and his sue
cessor. President Taft. The bureau. es-
tablished then, was the first Of its kind
in the world. but soon its usefulness
was recognized everywhere; it was built
along truly scientific research and edu-
cational lines by its first chief, MISS
Julia c. Lathrop, with an appropriation
of SIS 900 a year and has been con-
Quoted by its present head, Miss Aooott.
Soon similar bureaus were founded in
Belgium, CZechoslOvakla, Germany,
Russia. Poland and Jugoslavia:
Yet not until the draft of soldiers Tor
the World War was it realized how great
a percentage of American youths were,
like Richard III, "rudely stamped. sent
before their time into this world. scarce
half made up and that so lamely and
questionable that dogs barked at
them" The Governor of Kentucky was
shocked to find that a quarter OF the
young men of that Salubrlous state,
with its mountains and valleys and sun
shine, were deformed or defective IN
some physical way. So was the entire
Nation. Now nearly all States have
commissions codifying their laws and
studying their labor and other condi-
lions affecting childhood.
An official report of the Children's
Bureau shows that in i927-the latest
wear whose statistics are available
there were fewer deaths of children
than in 1922, so that 24,500 more chill
dren survived their first year OF exist
ence. Wonderful salvage by awakened
science!
Only IS babies out of each 1000 born
alive died that year. Prior to the pas
sage of the Sheppard-Towner law,
whereby the Federal Government went
into partnership with the several States
for the protection of babies, the rate Of
deaths had been rs instead of 65 per
1000 live births. That is the record Of
child salvage of only seven years from
the beginning.
Yet, the United States cannot boast
of its progress in obstetrics. Even today
the medical standards permit new
doctor to take full charge of childbirth
after he has witnessed, and perhaps as
sisted in. only six such cases. In some
parts of the country, more children arc
brought into the world by midwives-
more or less ignorant and insanitary-
than by trained physicians. There are
as 900 practicing midwiveS in the United
States. The United States has not kept
pace with Europe in saving maternity
cases, whether from maternal deaths or
from deaths of the babies at birth. or
soon thereafter. Comparatively few
midwiveS have had scientific training.
X x *
There has been encouraged improve
ment i'll the District of Columbia, but
not so great as i'll some States. For
example in 1916, the number of deaths
here of babies per 1000 births was LOG;
in 1927, it was 90. In New Hampshire,
the rate in 1916 was lis and in 1927, SO.
States showing a rate of deaths of chill
dren under one year, lower than 90 per
thousand births, were Connecticut (59),
Indiana (59). Iowa (55), Kansas (55),
Minnesota (52), Missouri 600, Nebraska
(51), Washington State (50), Wisconsin
(59). The National Capital is not up to
the average. Is there any reason why 1t
should not lead?
X X x
Not only have the District of Column
bia conditions some progress yet to
make to catch up with other States.
but all the United States may we'll take
note of the superiority of the maternity
and child records of certain European
countries.
The Sheppard-Towner law will ex-
pire by limitation this Summer, but a
bill Is now pending in both branches of
Congress to extend its provisions. on
the ground that 1t has demonstrated its
usefulness.
Advocates of the measure have quoted
Dr. william Travis Howard jr., of Johns
Hopkins University. DR.. Howard said:
THE death rates (for the U. S. birth
registration area for 1919. whether
viewed in comparison with the rates
for England and Wales, or considered
alone, are appallingly high for total
deaths and for deaths under each i'm
portant category. These rates are prob
ably unparalleled in modern times in
a civilized country. To match our rate
for the whole puerperal State (88.48
per 10000 births) it is necessary to
revert to the Swedish rate for 1906
1910 (S9 per 10000 births). 1t is more
than double the Swedish rate for 1851
1855, rs per cent greater than the aver
age rate for England and Wales for
1847 to 1876 $50 per 10000 living
births) and 100 per cent greater than
the average rate for the latter area for
l9ll-l9l5 (40.3l per 10000 living
BIRTH >"
Studies of the u. S. Children's Bureau
show not only that maternal mortality
in the United States is higher than
that among most nations OF the civil
lied world but that 1t has remained
practically stationary during the present
century"
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