| Table 17.—Number and Per Cent Distribution of Deaths of Babies, by Age at Death. | ||
|---|---|---|
| AGE AT DEATH. | DEATHS OF BABIES OF ALL MOTHERS. | |
| Number. | Per cent. distribution. | |
| Total deaths in first year | 196 | 100.0 |
| First quarter | 108 | 55.1 |
| First month | 74 | 37.8 |
| First week | 45 | 23.0 |
| Less than 1 day and 1 day | 30 | 15.3 |
| 2 days | 4 | 2.0 |
| 3 to 6 days | 11 | 5.6 |
| Second week | 14 | 7.1 |
| Third week | 7 | 3.6 |
| Fourth week | 8 | 4.1 |
| Second month | 18 | 9.2 |
| Third month | 16 | 8.2 |
| Second quarter | 42 | 21.4 |
| Third quarter | 31 | 15.8 |
| Fourth quarter | 15 | 7.7 |
The large number of deaths in the first few hours or days of life indicates that many babies are born with some handicap and that in many instances the mother has been subjected to some condition which resulted in the birth of a child incapable of withstanding the ordinary strain of life. Of the 45 babies who died in Johnstown less than a week after birth, 38 died of prematurity, congenital debility or malformations, or injuries received at birth. In one other case the cause of death was given as “bowel trouble” and in six other cases it was not clearly defined. In addition to the 45 babies just referred to as having died in their first week, 12 died later either from prematurity or from congenital defects.
Of the deaths from causes arising after birth, 52 were attributed by the attending physicians to diarrhoea and enteritis, 50 to respiratory diseases; and 44 to some other or to some ill-defined cause.
| Table 18.—Distribution of Deaths During First Year and Infant Mortality Rate, According to Cause of Death and Nativity of Mother. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAUSE OF DEATH. | DEATHS DURING FIRST YEAR OF BABIES OF— | |||||
| All mothers. | Native mothers. | Foreign mothers. | ||||
| Number. | Infant mortality rate. | Number. | Infant mortality rate. | Number. | Infant mortality rate. | |
| All causes | 196 | 134.0 | 85 | 104.3 | 111 | 171.3 |
| Diarrhea and enteritis | 52 | 35.5 | 17 | 20.9 | 35 | 54.0 |
| Respiratory diseases | 50 | 34.2 | 19 | 23.3 | 31 | 47.8 |
| Premature births | 24 | 16.4 | 11 | 13.5 | 13 | 20.1 |
| Congenital debility or malformation | 19 | 12.9 | 5 | 6.1 | 14 | 21.6 |
| Injuries at birth | 7 | 4.8 | 6 | 7.4 | 1 | 1.5 |
| Other causes or not reported | 44 | 30.1 | 27 | 33.1 | 17 | 26.2 |
The latest census report on mortality statistics characterizes diarrhoea and enteritis as the “most important preventable cause of infant mortality” in the United States, and numerically at least it proves to be the most important cause of infant death in Johnstown.
Holt[[23]] says that one of the most striking facts about diarrheal diseases in infants is their prevalence during the summer season. In Johnstown the infant diarrheal deaths were least prevalent in the first quarter of the year, next in the second, next prevalent in the fourth, and most prevalent in the third or summer quarter.
[23]. The Diseases of Infancy and Childhood, by L. Emmett Holt. p. 345. New York, 1912.
| Table 19.—Distribution of Deaths, According to Cause of Death and Quarter of Calendar Year in which Death Occurred. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAUSE OF DEATH. | All deaths. | QUARTER OF CALENDAR YEAR IN WHICH DEATH OCCURRED. | |||
| First. | Second. | Third. | Fourth. | ||
| All causes | 196 | 54 | 29 | 74 | 39 |
| Diarrhea and enteritis | 52 | 3 | 5 | 32 | 12 |
| Respiratory diseases | 50 | 24 | 8 | 7 | 11 |
| Premature births | 24 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| Congenital debility or malformation | 19 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
| Injuries at birth | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | |
| Other causes or not reported | 44 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 8 |
Our figures are too small to admit of broad generalizations or a very full discussion of infant deaths according to the period of the year.
This excess of infant deaths from diarrhea in the summer months has been established by statistics in many countries, and the cause of such an excess has been the subject of much discussion, but as yet there is no general agreement. Liefmann and Lindemann[[24]] conclude, however, that in this field of controversy there are certain facts which are at present well established, these being the dependence of the high summer mortality on methods of feeding, on hot weather, and on the living and social condition of the parents. The last factor mentioned by these authors, including as it does housing conditions, economic status, and degree of intelligence, is becoming more and more the subject of study and investigation. It has been shown that the distinctly harmful effect of hot weather on the infant is increased when the housing conditions are bad; in overcrowded homes with bad ventilation the indoor temperature may be many degrees higher than the outdoor temperature. The ignorance and carelessness of mothers has also been shown to increase the bad effect of hot weather. With hygienic care, including cool baths, much fresh air, and careful feeding, many infants are able to pass through extremely hot weather without diarrheal disturbances.