DO MEDICAL SCHOOLS ADEQUATELY TRAIN STUDENTS 

 FOR THE PREVENTION OF INFANT MORTALITY? 



By IRA S. WILE, M. S., M. D., New York 



Intellectual unrest may be said to characterize the present 

 attitude of thinking people, as they pause to contemplate the 

 various problems that appear throughout the educational sys- 

 tem. Are the present educational methods efficient, are goals 

 correct, are the educational ideas sufficiently high, are educa- 

 tional institutions fulfilling their purpose in the best interests of 

 the community? 



Medical schools exist, not for the purpose of turning out wage- 

 earners, but to supply the community with well-trained men who 

 are capable of looking out for the health of the community. If 

 the medical schools fail to accomplish this, they fall short in the 

 performance of their duty. Do medical schools adequately train 

 students for the work of preventing infant mortality? 



As has been frequently stated, one-fourth of the total mor- 

 tality in the registration area occurs under the age of 2.68 years. 

 In registration cities one-fourth of all born die at or under the 

 age of 1.8 years. This is not a condition existing only in this 

 country. Westergard has shown that 25 per cent, of the mor- 

 tality of Berlin during the first year occurs during the first 

 month and 47 per cent, during the first three months. In Lon- 

 don 11.09 per cent, of the first year's deaths happen within the 

 first month and 34.6 per cent, is confined to the first three 

 months. In short, the figures carefully compiled from many coun- 

 tries reveal the shocking fact that the greatest loss of life from 

 disease arises during the first two years of life, with particular 

 periods of unusually high mortality. 



Do medical colleges give proper and efficient instruction to 

 their students to combat the diseases of that period of life that 

 causes such a tremendous portion of the total mortality? Should 

 the problems of infancy be placed in a subordinate position in 

 medical curricula when they occupy the most prominent place 

 in the category of destructive conditions? Is it fair to the stu- 

 dent; is it fair to the community? Should not every medical 

 college lay especial stress upon the diseases that are responsible 



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