ADDRESS* 

 By the Chairman, WM. H. -WELCH, M. D., Baltimore 



I notice that I am expected to make an address. I think I 

 should hardly be justified in occupying much of your time in 

 view of the fact that there are others here who have carefully 

 prepared papers and who have come from a distance. However, 

 there are just a few words which I may be permitted to say by 

 way of introduction. 



You will have noticed that the main topic for discussion 

 tonight is Municipal, State and Federal prevention of infant 

 mortality. You will probably also have observed that it has 

 been impossible in arranging the programme to cover all of 

 the subjects, even those which might be considered of funda- 

 mental importance,, relating to this topic of Municipal, State and 

 Federal prevention. Of course, the subject for discussion to- 

 night is of particular importance because in this country we are 

 so far behind other civilized countries in the activities of the 

 Federal, State, and, for the most part, Municipal governments 

 in this matter. If we had as thoroughly organized and com- 

 plete service for public health in the national government as 

 we should have, I do not think we should have been so far 

 behind other countries in this respect, for a national bureau or 

 department would have served certainly as a great stimulus to 

 organization in this field. It would have furnished a model as to 

 what could be done. It would have furnished a vast budget of 

 information, which is essential in carrying on this work. We, 

 therefore, have here another of many examples of how much we 

 suffer in this country from the lack of a thoroughly organized and 

 complete bureau or department of public health under the national 

 government. Indeed, our municipal health boards have only 

 recently and only in a very few instances taken up with any 

 energy and thoroughness work in this field. The New York 

 City Board of Health has done so. It is already under way, 

 I think, in Pennsylvania, and something has been done else- 

 where. 



k From the stenographer's notes. 



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