The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-09-08

ever, still presents the lowest in- dividual state urban rates. Was ingt0n leads with the low rate of 36 infant deaths for each 1000 live births; then Oregon with 37; and Montana with AZ. The north-cen- tral states remain consistently good, whereas most of the southern and the southwestern states show a tendency toward incretse in in- fant mortality, and also the high est state, and city dates. This ad- verse condition, ac ording to the report, is chiefly due to the high infant mortality among the large negro population.
 The report names the three cities in each of three population groups, that had the lowest infant death rates for 1893. Newton, Mass, with rate of 21, tied with Berkeley, Cal, in having the lowest rate in its population group. The other eight cities named were distributed as follows: four in California, two in Washington, one in Chicago, and one in Indiana.
 Among the 10 largest cities in the United States, Cleveland and St Louis made the best showing, as stated in the report, each with rate of A infant deaths for each thousand births; Chicago and Phil adelphia follow, each with 49; De- troit with 51; New York and Pitts burg each with 53; Los Angeles with 57; Boston with 59; and Bal timore with 61. In six of the 10 cities the rate decreased in 1888; in two it remained stationary; and in two there was only a small in- crease.
 The American Child Health as- sociation's report is based on rec: ords of the United States census bureau supplemented by returns from states and local officials, and represents the urban portion of the birth registration area which, for the first time, now encompasses the entire area of the continental United States. The report states that the urban infant mortality rate for the entire birth registra- tion area for 1893 was 57.1 per 1000 live births, and that this figure is based on 945,5S7 reported live births and 54,030 infant deaths in 985 cities of the continental Uni ted states and Hawaii.
 Although this rate of 57.1 is slightly higher that the 1892 rate of 56.S, this does not, according to the report, represent a step back ward in public health achievement, since the increase is wholly due to the recent inclusion of Texas cities. Confining the 1888 data to the same 943 cities that were reported in the 1892 rate, the 1893 rate would be 55.9, the lowest ever reached inn the history of the country. The almost uninterrupted downward course of the past few years in the infant mortality rate continues for the urban portion of the country, despite recent economic conditions and reduced expenditures for pub- lie health.
 The annual reports on infant mortality in cities of the United States have been issued by the American Child Health association each year since 1919 with the ob- ject of interesting the entire coun- try in the reduction of infant nor tality, in he necessity for com plete birth registration, and the importance of having all infant mortality rates uniformly correct ed for residence.
 The 1898 report includes de- tailed information on each of the cities in which there occurred dur ing the year as many as 200 births, showing the infant mortality rates for each of the last five years. av- erages for three four-year periods dating back to 1916, as we'll as oth- CT pertinent information. In addi- tion, it shows as whole, and gen. erally pictures and analyses the entire infrant mortality situation in the United States.