PREFACE. 



IN presenting the report of the English-speaking Con- 

 ference on Infant Mortality, which was held in the Caxton 

 Hall on August 4 and 5 of this year, it may be well to 

 point out that this Conference, though in series with the 

 two which preceded it in 1906 and 1908, is yet distinct from 

 them in that this year for the first time it was conducted 

 under the auspices of the National Association for the 

 Prevention of Infant Mortality and for the Welfare of 

 Infancy, and not as heretofore by a special and independent 

 committee. 



The new Association, which was founded in June, 1912, 

 is an amalgamation of the original Executive Committee 

 on Infant Mortality with representatives from a number of 

 other associations and societies interested in child welfare. 

 With permanent headquarters in London, the Association 

 is in an excellent position for pursuing active propaganda 

 work in the interval between Conferences, and for securing 

 the best possible results from the Conferences themselves. 

 The success which is admitted on all hands to have attended 

 the first efforts of the new Association is of excellent augury 

 for the future. The Association enjoys the patronage of 

 their Majesties the King and Queen, and is fortunate in 

 possessing for its President the Right Hon. John Burns, 

 M.P., and for its Chairman of the Executive Committee Sir 

 Thomas Barlow, the President of the Royal College of 

 Physicians. 



This year's Conference was distinguished from those 

 of 1906 and 1908 in embracing representatives from every 

 English-speaking country. Twenty-two English-speaking 

 Governments were officially represented by specially 



