Evening star., 1954-11-05
Death Rate Of Infants
Cut in Half in 80 Years
Better MedicoI Core Gets
Lorge Shore of Credit
By Thomas R. Henry

Ss ~ Sh0hS w SiS0U
By Thomas R. Henry
The death rate of babies during the
later stages of pregnancy, birth itself
and the crucial week after birth has
been cut almost in half in the past 80
years.
This development has just been re-
ported to the American Medical Asso-
citation by DR.. Edith L. Potter, pro-
fessor Of obstetrics at the University
of Chicago. There is, she said, no
single outstanding reason. IT Is result
Of a combination of better medical care,
better control of infectious diseases and
improved health standards controlling
milk.
In 1922 the rate stood at 1914 a thou
sand for fetal deaths and 1877 for
deaths during the first % days Of life.
This made a total death rate Of 70 q
thousand. 1t now is down to rate
Of 22.9 for fetal deaths and 205 for
deaths Immediately after birth.
If the rates for 1922 had continued
into 1850. DR.. Potter pointed out, there
would have been an additional $1,000
stillbirths and $1,000 deaths immedi-
ately after birth. Thus during the year
1850 alone 10000 lives were saved.
Causes About Same.
The general causes Of early mortality
have been about the same throughout
the ages. They are divided into eight
main groups First is interference with
the normal development Of organs or
.ke - 4ha IN Vraa H..
formations. Second Is the immuniza-
ton of the mother to an antigen pres
ent in the blood cells of the unborn
infant. This is the &ell-known Rh
factor. Third is interruption Of oxygen
supply.
An important cause has been major
injury sustained by the baby during the
birth process. Fifth is premature birth;
and sixth is infection. Abnormal func-
tioning of heart and lungs is seventh
major factor. Finally, there is group
of pathological changes Of unknown
cause in the infant.
The main causes for the decrease in
the death rate, DR.. Potter explained,
have been the improvements in the
conditions that surround the mother
important. The crucial period. however.
still remains the time of the birth
itself. Increase in the number Of hos
pital births IN proportion to the total
number in the entire population per-
haps has been the single greatest factor
in reducing the death rate.
The two main causes Of death that
have not been reduced materially by
medical improvements are malforma-
tions of infants before birth and the
incidence of difficulties due to the Rh
factor. In spite of all the emphasis
that has been placed on prenatal care.
diet of the mother and similar hygienic
measures, no decrease has been demon
strated in the frequency with which
rmalformationS occur or in which pre-
mature delivery takes place.
Autopsies Shed Light.
One factor contributing to the decline
in prenatal deaths. DR.. Potter empha-
sized, has been the increasing attention
paid to post-mortems of infants. Autop-
sizes have provided invaluable informa-
ton on methods by which such deaths
might be prevented.
Science appears to have doomed the
bowling alley pin boy" He eventually
will be displaced by machine with an
electronic brain-already available but
too costly now for any but the largest
bowling establishments. SIS
This is revealed by the Industrial
Bulletin of Arthur D. Little, Inc. Cam
bridge, Mass.
Work on the mechanical pin boy
started shortly after the war, but the
problems were so complex that they
only recently have been solved for ten.
pin and duckpin games. Such a ma
chine must do automatically several
things. For example, it must remove
deadwood from the alley and replace
pins in precisely the same positions.
"It is controlled" says the Bulletin.
"by series of relays that constitutes
it's electronic brain. The pins are
picked up and respected by sets Of
pneumatically operated floating fingers
that lock into place when grasping the
pin"
The device at present. it is pointed
out, is especially adapted for tenpins,
the major game in the United States.
Bowling" says the Bulletin, already
ranks as the country's second particle
patton sport. next to hunting and fish
ing. 1t is also the fastest growing, with
about 20 million bowling at least occa-
sionally and some million, in $4,000
organized leagues.
Further machine refinement and
greater acceptance of the machines by
large establishments are expected even-
tually to reduce the cost of bowling.
This may take several years, but devel.
opment is being encouraged to bring
about even greater participation in the
sport"
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