Farmers' Week in Agricultural College. 239 



principles. Does she ask "How shall I choose to design his clothes to 

 best keep the temperature the same all over his body and the same 

 temperature at all times?" Does she recognize that heat regulation 

 apparatus of an infant is imperfect when he first enters this world, and 

 must be taken into consideration in dressing him if his digestion is kept 

 normal? Or, does she think more about the effect his clothes will have 

 on the neighbors who should admire them, or which decoration will be 

 the prettiest? 



Let us look for a moment at the possible ways of helping to solve 

 this whole problem of infant mortality. First of all we must help en- 

 force the laws for the registration of births and deaths. Listen to what 

 Dr. Gassy Wilbur, chief statistican of the Census Bureau, says to us in 

 the Division of Vital Statistics of this Bureau. I believe that great im- 

 provement can be brought about in the registration of vital statistics and 

 the consequent prevention of the diseases of infants and young children 

 by the organized and co-operative action of the Women's Clubs. If 

 every member of these clubs would take pains to ascertain that the 

 births of her own children have been registered properly and if not, 

 owing possibly to the absence of proper legislation or the failure to en- 

 force such laws, make inquiry as to how such evils could be corrected, it 

 would have a very direct effect in improving the administration of 

 registration laws. 



It is especially desirable at the present time that the women of Mis- 

 souri should aid in the support and insist upon thorough enforcement of 

 the present excellent registration law that has been in force in your State 

 since February 1, 1910. Missouri has taken a long step in advance in 

 the passage of such a law, and it is being executed very thoroughly by 

 the State Registrar, Dr. Frank B. Hiller, Jefferson City, but it is always 

 true that during the first years of the operation of a law many difficul- 

 ties arise from the reluctance of some physicians to comply with its pro- 

 visions. Hence a strong moral support in the community will help the 

 registration officials to make it the success that it ought to be. 



The next step must be through the milk depot, and Dr. W. C. Philips, 

 Secretary of the New York JMilk Commission, tells of its possibilities in 

 these words : 



"The milk depot is the means through which we may hope to solve 

 this problem in the cities, the instrument through which medical, social, 

 educational and philanthropic prevention effects their purpose and 

 achieve success. It should be an educational center, a district branch 

 for the dispensation of relief, a co-ordinating unit between nurses, 

 physicians, clinics, dispensaries, hospitals and philanthropic institutions. 



