ERRONEOUS IDEAS ON INFANT MORTALITY AND 

 METHODS OF REDUCING IT 



By S. W. NEWMAYER, M. D., Philadelphia 



The results of the past year's work throughout the country 

 to reduce infant mortality, with but few exceptions, show that 

 we are far from solving the problem. This association has gath- 

 ered its members together for a full discussion of the knowl- 

 edge acquired in the study of this vital question. 



The time allotted to a paper is short and will permit only of 

 stating some facts which should perhaps be treated more in 

 detail. I shall, therefore, treat of our shortcomings and try to 

 show the missing links in our chain of work. 



Three great agencies have been actively working for several 

 years to combat the great mortality among infants Municipal 

 and State Health Departments ; the medical profession, and vari- 

 ous allied philanthropic organizations. The work of most of 

 these agencies has been individual rather than co-operative and, 

 while the plans of work have been, with a few exceptions, similar, 

 the results obtained have varied widely. The keynote of most 

 campaigns has been education, to teach the mother with a well 

 child how to care properly for it. 



To accomplish this end tons of literature and circulars of in- 

 struction, in all languages, have been distributed; posters have 

 been placed in houses ; trained nurses and physicians have visited 

 the homes, and mothers' meetings and clinics for the examination 

 of well infants have been held. 



'To Keep the Well Baby Well" is a good motto, but how many 

 mothers having a well baby can be induced to attend a clinic, to 

 spare time away from home duties and other children? Some 

 mothers may make a first visit out of curiosity; other mothers 

 who previously lost a baby may be willing pupils and attend 

 every clinic. Even with the trained nurse visiting in the homes, 

 the mother with a well child, although fed contrary to all rules 

 laid down by the medical profession, heeds very little of the advice 

 given by the nurse. The nurse can teach her cleanliness of both 

 house and baby; and while the mothers usually welcome the 

 reporting of insanitary condition of the house, on the crucial 



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