WILBUR C. PHILLIPS 83 



large group of mothers singly at one "fell swoop" usually proves 

 too attractive even for the average physician, and, although he 

 may prefer to meet them individually at weekly classes, he also 

 arranges to meet all the mothers collectively from time to time. 

 The talks given by the doctor should include all subjects relating 

 to infant hygiene and infant feeding. Demonstrations by the 

 nurse increase their value. Talks to little mothers, to expectant 

 mothers, and even to fathers, are all embraced in this interesting 

 educational work. 



When the nurse is not in the depot either meeting the mothers 

 individually or assisting the doctor at the weekly consultations, 

 she should be in the homes teaching the mothers how to use the 

 simple utensils at their command, scolding their disobedience of 

 her injunctions, praising them for orders carried out, encouraging 

 them to be better wives and mothers. 



Most of the success of the depot work depends upon this per- 

 sonal hand to hand work on the part of the nurses, for in the 

 last analysis infant mortality is to be solved, not by philanthropy, 

 or by institutions, or by the medical profession, or by the State, 

 or by the proverbial George, but by the mothers themselves. In 

 the discussion of this problem too little emphasis has been placed 

 on this feature of the work. We must "put it up" to the mothers. 

 We must heighten their sense of responsibility. We must teach 

 them what to do and then see that they obey. The State, as Percy 

 Mackay has pointed out, is powerless when it comes to the ques- 

 tion of removing the pin from a baby's throat. 



The collection of statistics is not necessary 

 STATISTICS: for the immediate saving of babies' lives, 

 although it is obviously desirable that the phy- 

 sician and nurse should have some record of the history of each 

 baby under them. Much time and energy is wasted by societies 

 on the collection of statistics which are not scientifically planned 

 out, not thoroughly collected and not carefully analyzed. I do 

 not believe in the collection of statistics by small local societies 

 when problems of life and death demand their attention. 



If several depots are to be established, the 

 GENERAU question of supervision is important. The 

 SUPERVISION: director of a philanthropic agency who has 

 not had special training along medical or 

 nursing lines is not qualified to supervise the work of depots. 

 The best supervisor is a trained nurse who possesses all the 

 qualities already alluded to in this paper. An excellent plan of 

 supervision is to make this nurse secretary of a special com- 

 mittee on depot management, of which the director of the agency 

 might be a member. This committee should be as small as pos- 

 sible and should consist preferably of persons each of whom rep- 



