212 THE COMMON SENSE OF THE MILK QUESTION 



recorded during the same months in the nine-year 

 period, the result is to show a remarkable decline. 

 Perhaps, however, the fairest comparison would be 

 between the three years, 1897 to 1899 inclusive, and 

 the three years, 1894 to 1896 inclusive. In the latter 

 period there were 572 deaths of children under five 

 years of age recorded in the months of July and Au- 

 gust, as shown in the preceding table. In the three 

 years, 1897 to 1899 inclusive, the number of such 

 deaths was 368, a decrease of over 35 per cent I 



It is not contended that the remarkable decrease 

 of infant mortality indicated by these figures was due 

 entirely to the distribution of milk from the infants' 

 depots. It is never possible to completely separate 

 the factors entering into mortality statistics. Doubt- 

 less the distribution of simple instructions to mothers 

 on the care of their babies and the friendly advice 

 given by the nurses helped a good deal, while the 

 improvement in the general milk supply of the city 

 and the intelligent public interest in the subject were 

 also factors of very great importance. Rochester's 

 system must be considered as a whole if we would 

 understand it. 



There were a good many wiseacres who thought 

 that the irreducible minimum of infant mortality 

 had been reached, that further progress could not be 

 expected. I suppose that most men would have been 

 satisfied with so great an achievement, but not so Dr. 



