Causes of Infant Mortality.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4363, 21 January 1909, Page 2

Causes of Infant Mortality.

TUGENDRKICII points out that the statistics in regard to infant mortality are based on such different premises that they are useless for purposes of omparisou. He suggests that the one important and prevailing factor in infant mortality is the method of feeding. This should be the basis for comparative statistics, as it is the really important element in the effects of summer beat, lack of hygiene, poverty, climatic influences, etc., which are variously cited as the cause of the infant mortality. The mortality of breast-fed and of artificially-fed infants should bo listed separately. When this is done it is seon that climatic conditions, sultry heat, poverty, and all conditions which are supposed to explain the infant mortality have little influence on the breast-fed childten—only the arti-ficially-fed children succumb to their action. He shows this anew by a group of infants at Berlin brought regularly to the “ infant consultation ” in his charge. The father’s wages in these cases ranged fiom 4.50 dollars t> (i dollars a week, and he lists only thoso families with four children at least, His figures show that iu 114 families, with 377 breast-fed children the mortality was 19.3 per cent, ; in 33 with 22!) bottle-fed children the mortality was 43.2 per cent. In 24 families with 10!) children, some raised on the bottle an l others breast-fed, none I of the latter died, while half of the 1 bottle-fed children succumbed In 13 other “ mixel ” families with 4i breastfed and twenty - three bottle children, all the latter died. He exclaims that this material confirms anew that breast fo 'ding is able to counteract the evil effects of poverty, unhygienic surroundings and summer heat, and rear healthy children, He remarks in conclusion that he does not know of any systematic research on the metabolism of nursing women, As a cotributiou to the subject he had 70 of the nursing women weighed during tlitee months, The findings showed that the women gained in weight while nursing, oven on the insufficient nourishment of the lower classes Only very few lost in weight, much fewer than a control group of mothers of bottle-fed children.