WAR AND CHILDREN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 269, 2 August 1918, Page 3

WAR AND CHILDREN

INFANT WELFARE IN GERMANY Some interesting information is contained in a report on infant welfare in Germany during the war, which has been prepared by the Intelligence Department of the British Local Government Board (states the London correspondent of the Melbourne "Age," writing on 31' ay 31). I'rom 1013 to 1916 the birthrate in Germany dropped 40 per cent., and the number of btibiM born during the first threo years of war was 2,(100,000 less than the number who would have been born lwil peaco prevailed. It will thus be seen that warfare results in a double loss of life— in a greatly red need birthrate. :iy well as in soldiers killed. The number of German soldiers killed in tlio war probably exceids 2,000,000, Init the official lists of German msualtics plnc-3 the number below 1,500.000. In the months following the. outbreak of war there was a rapid rise m the deathrate of German infants of less than twelve months. This increase has been described by health authorities in Germany to the economic distress which followe'd general mobilisation. This infant mortality was increased during the last quarter'of li)U by the fact that the summer was hot and dry- The alarm felt in Germany by the rapid increaso in infant mortality during the first months of war led to efforts being made to revise and extend infant welfare work. Nurses skilled in infant welfare who had been taken for service in military ho.=pifols were gradually released by tho military authorities under pressure, and tlioy returned to their former work on belihlf of infant uelfare / associations. There has been a great extension of infant welfare work in Germany during the past two years. New associations havo been formed, and special training course? have been wtablwhcd to increase the supply of skilled workers. The Prussian Government lias instituted a scheme for "ranting diplomas to infant welfare workers who have taken a regular course of training iiud pn«ed a prescribed examination. , There are now over 800 infant, welfare centres in Germany. Infant welfare work is now in-many towns a. branch of lmvnicipa.l activity. In Berlin there are nine centres controllel by the municipality, in Cologne tßirteen, and in 'Leipzig six. Generally tho work was initiated by private 'societies end taken over by tho municipality. As a result the lntniit deathrate of Germany during 19b : lo showed a considerable reduction despite the difficulties caused by .the food shortage. The most noteworthy etep in the direction of infant welfare in Germany was the speohl grants to women who givo birth to children. These grants add materially to .the separation allowances given 'to the dependants of M>ldier6. In Germany all the wives of eoldiers do. not get separation allowances, as is the cu£o with the wives of British soldiers. German/wives have to prove thot in thencase tho allowance is a matter of necessity in order to enable them to keep themselves and their families. An allowance for breast-feeding at the rate qt 6d. a day, including Sundays and holidays, for twelve weeks after the confinement, is also made. The encouragement of breast-feeding by means of allowances in money and kind was adopted in Germany before the war. It is regarded as one of tlu best means of furthering infant welfare. The German health authorities regard the maternity grants as being instrumental in lowering the deathrato uniMg infants, but it is doubtful whether this has taken place, except where thoy are administered as part of an organised scheme of infant, welfare work. In towns and districts where the money is given out without any attempt to see that the mothers and infants are properly wired for,'the grants appear to have had little or no effect on the infant deathrate. The breast-feeding allowance is stated to have increased tlie number of breastfed infants during the first three months of life, but here again the effect produced must be dependent, upon tho method of administration. Where • the Eickness insurance societies take steps, either through the infant welfare association or tho midlives, to Bee that the mother does in fact breast-feed, her infant, much good lias been doiie. Where, on the other hand, no such nction is taken, little or no improvement in tins respect is seen. It seems prooable that .the" ntimber of infants breast-fed beyond the first three months of life has also increased • since the allowances were «iv>n, especially as some municipalities and voluntary infant welfare associations give further .grauts to mothers Vho continue -breast-feeding beyond this period.