AMAND ROUTH, M.D., F.R.C.P., ON MOTHERHOOD. 63 



Perhaps the following figures will make these facts plainer 



Out of 692,438 births in 1919 in England and Wales, 8383 

 died in the first twenty-four hours after birth, and 9388 died 

 in the next six days, or 17,771 in the first week of life. Whilst 

 27,555 died in their first month of life, only 34,160 died in the 

 remaining eleven months of the infantile year, representing a total 

 of 61,715 infant deaths or a death-rate of 89 per 1000 births.* 



The deaths in the early days after birth are due mainly to 

 delayed and difficult labour caused by obstructions, such as 

 pelvic contractions, etc., or to debilitating disease or infections 

 transferred from mother to child, or to malpresentations of the 

 child, or to combinations of these causes, all of which could have 

 been detected and dealt with if the mother had occasionally 

 been seen by an experienced doctor during her pregnancy. 

 Every child has a right — a birthright — to be born healthy. 



Let it be the self-imposed duty of everyone here present to 

 urge every expectant mother to consult a doctor during her 

 pregnancy. This is easy in private practice, and should not 

 be difficult nowadays even amongst the poorer classes, for every 

 midwife is in touch with the Health Authorities of her district, 

 or with an Ante-natal or Maternity Clinic, where a doctor is 

 in regular attendance. 



Influence of Alcohol upon Motherhood. 



Mothers and expectant mothers should be careful of their 

 diet, especially as regards alcohol. 



You all know that inquests are often held to determine the 

 cause of deaths of infants under one year of age, who are well 

 in the evening, but found dead — suffocated — in their mother's 

 bed in the morning. These deaths before the war occurred about 

 twice as frequently on Saturday nights. 



I append tablesf published by the National Birth-Eate Com- 

 mission, showing the infantile deaths of infants in each year 

 from 1913, before control of alcohol, up to 1918, when there was 

 full control. The figures also show the percentage of deaths on 

 each day of the week, and the numbers of convictions for 

 drunkenness in women during those years. The relations shown 

 by these various figures are very striking. As pointed out in 



* In 1920 the death rate of infants was reduced to 80 per 1000 births. 

 It will be interesting to see whether the reduction is, as in 1919, only in 

 the later months of the infantile year. 



t Problems of Population and Parenthood, pp. 292-3. London: 

 Chapman & Hall, 1920. 



