Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-23

Consulting director Obstetric and Gyne-
ShiIsds Hn, new f0rS huseoy s sno
eral organizations and committees con-
cerned with the Improvement of mater
nifty care in the United States.
Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK, December % (N.A.N
A).-There is a saying in the italian
that nothing lasts 100 years. Ir
America few things last rs years
built and rebuilt, and their survival
made possible by successful measures
to safeguard the population against the
perils of congestion.
Typhoid fever, smallpox and diph-
liberia have yielded to scientific control
in the last quarter century, and tuber-
culosis has been reduced to half Its
toll, as almost every one knows. But
the death rate from causes connected
with maternity has not been lowered at
all during the period for which records
are available Today our maternal
death rate is said to be the highest in
the civilized world, and no less an
authority than United States Surg
Gen. Cumming uses the word dis
graceful in this connection. Is this
condition in which we may expect no
change?
For some time many of those inter-
ested in the problem have believed not.
Our belief has been founded on conf
dence in the results from teaching the
public the value of adequate ma
fernity care. But our conclusions have
been subject to the criticism that they
were based on limited observation ana
therefore were more or less academic.
Seek Data for Comparison.
Statisticians of authority ask such
embarrassing questions as, can you
show us complete records OF enough
women who availed themselves OF ade-
0uate maternity care, spread over a
guficient period of years. to be typical
and what we call significant? Can
YOU further show us results for cases
in the same locality who did not avail
themselves of such care, so we can
make a comparison Of what happened
to the first class and what happened 10
the second or control group?
Until now our answer has been I'M
satisfactory But those who have eX-
amined report based on ATS cases
cared for by the Maternity CenUer as
socialism in New York City feel tnat
the answer is at hand. These records
have been analysed by DR.. Louis l.
dublin. statistician of the Metropolitan
Life Insurance Co., whose report mas
lust been submitted to the officers OF the
Maternity Center Association.
Report Gives Facts.
The report presents these important
facts:
/. Among 4.726 cases cared for by
the association during period OF SIX
wears. the death rate was % per 1000
live births. (Denmark's rate, lowest for
anv country In the world, is 2.6, the
United States as a whole is 6.5.)
.. These mothers lived in a part OF
New York City called the Bellevue
Yorkyille section. which had popula-
ton of l52,947, according to the census
of 1880 Among mothers in the section
not cared for by the Maternity Center
Association the rate was 6.2-nearly
three times that of the group receiving
such care, though a little lower tnan
the national death rate.
8. For the country as whole, the
results achieved have definite implca-
tions. If all mothers knew what con-
gtitutes adequate care, and 1t could be
made available to them, 10000 Of the
1890 women who die annually might
be saved and 10000 babies that die each
year before they are one month old
could live. The need of the future is
to put into operation the machinery
which has been demonstrated over three
years 10 be effective.
Examine Vital Points.
Let us examine some of the vital
points characteristic of the work with
these cases and offer comments on
them:
(a) Expectant mothers were urged
TO seek medical and nursing care as
early as possible. According to DR.
Dublin's analysis, the benefits increased
directly with the length OF time the
women were under observation.
Cb) Women were helped in arranging
for medical and nursing assistance al
the time of the birth of their children
and for six weeks afterward. Generally
speaking, poor or insufficient care is toe
often the cause of morbidity and NOR
tally both to mother and child. While
such was not the case among this group
1t is only fair to point out that the ex-
cellent results are in part to be credited
to the exceptional concentration Of
medical facilities to be found in New
York City.
The services of the Maternity Center
Association, If duplicated in other part
of the country must not be expected
TO produce at once the same gratifylnt
results. Other communities, especial!
rural, setting out to remedy their ma
ternity conditions, will do well to estab
lish local maternity hospitals will
trained. full-time obstetricians in charge
Mothers Urged TO Register.
(c) Each expectant mother was urge
to register as early as possible with tn
doctor or hospital physician who was Il
attend her; nurses saw to it that Sh
presented herself to the doctor for ex
animation at stipulated intervals. From
time to time nurses observed and ques
toned the mothers and kept the docto
or hospital informed by sending detailet
reports of the findings of each visit
Nurses taught mothers hygiene, what t
eat what to wear, how to live.
II one were asked, What has been tn