SOCIAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION 
OF PHILADELPHIA. 
PAPERS OF 1871. 
INFANT MORTALITY AND THE NECESSITY OF A FOUNDLING 
HOSPITAL IN PHILADELPHIA. 
READ MAIf 5, 1871. 
BY JOHN S. PARITY, M. D., 
Attending Accoucheur and Physician to the Children’s Department 
of the Philadelphia Hospital; Fellow of the College of Physicians 
of Philadelphia ; Member of the Pathological Society; Member of 
the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia, Etc. 
Ip I understand the objects of the Social Science Association, 
this is neither the time nor the place for any attempt at rhetori- 
cal display, and I conceive that when the Chairman of its Com- 
mittee on Public Health asked me to lecture here this evening, 
that he intended me to deliver a plain, matter-of-fact discourse. 
The subject selected is one in which I have a special interest, and 
one which is of no small importance to the community and the 
State. Here in America, it sometimes seems as if we set little 
store by human life, and in some places there is a wanton waste 
of existence which the authorities fail to recognize or at least re- 
fuse to arrest. This is partly due to the fact that the vast tide of 
emigration from the densely peopled countries of the old world 
has not yet failed us, and because this supply has been ceaseless, 
because we have progressed so rapidly, and in a short time 
assumed a leading position in the list of nations, it seems to 
most persons probable that our resources cannot be easily ex- 
hausted. But in the turnings and overturnings of empires, we 
know not what may come, and ere another half-score of years 
have been added to the past, the vast supplies which we have been 
receiving from Germany and Ireland may be cut olf, and then 
the AmericaA nation will be forced to rely upon its own resources 
to people the vast plains west of the Mississippi, and to work out 
fully the interesting problem whether we are or are not to be a 2 
permanent people. If it lias not now, infant life will then have a 
political value, and sage legislators will be aroused to the impor- 
tance of the subject, about which we intend to speak to-night. 
That this will come soon, is not unlikely, and it will be interest- 
ing to observe the influence of the recent Franco-German war 
upon emigration from the latter country. It may have augumented 
it during its progress, and this may continue until affairs there 
are permanently settled, but the waste of human life among the 
male portion of the population has been so great that it is most 
likely that it will be materially diminished for some time to 
come. If now, Great Britain should be plunged into war, and 
the supply from Ireland cut off, we would occupy a new position 
before the world. Already in some portions of New England, 
and even in Philadelphia, during some of the earlier years of the 
last decade the deaths exceeded the births, and during the year 
just closed the latter exceeded the former only four hundred and 
forty-four in this city. 
This is, no doubt, partly due to emigration from the Eastern 
to the Western States, but this will not account entirety for the 
facts, and it may yet become a serious question whether the 
Anglo-Saxon race is adapted for life in this country with its vari- 
able climate, and it may yet become a very serious question, 
whether the American will become a permanent nation if emigra- 
tion is cut off, for it is beyond doubt that though our people are 
not physically weak, the number of children born to native pa- 
rents is small, and is decreasing every year. This is true not 
only of those families who have lived in this country for three or 
four generations, but it is more or less true of the immediate de- 
scendants of our Irish and German emigrants, for in few instances 
is the number of children of individuals of the second generation 
equal to that of the first, while in the third it is apt to grow still 
less. These facts have served the late lamented Dr. Hunt, of 
Great Britain, for a paper upon the national prospects of the 
American people—a paper remarkable for its thoughtfulness, and 
one which is entitled to grave consideration, as coining from the 
President of the London Anthropological Society. 
These dangers at least make infant mortality important politi- 
cally5', and thus the subject becomes interesting to every citizen of 
this great and wonderful country. If in the future we should 
have to rely upon ourselves, ever}' infant born into the world has 3 
become, if its life can be preserved, a source of wealth to the 
State, and it will be another to go forth with a strong arm or a 
brave heart to subdue the far West—that land, which with its 
rich soil, its inexhaustible mineral resources and grand water- 
courses, is almost an empire within itself. 
But important as this is, there is another view, and if the State 
and the community refuse to recognize the rights of outcast and 
abandoned children, philanthropic persons know that these waifs 
of humanity are living beings; that they are as capable as any 
of becoming useful in the world ; that they are moved with them 
by the same emotions, by the same hopes and fears, by the same 
loves and hates; that they are immortal souls, inheriting with 
them the same eternity. 
The subject has assumed a new importance in this city during 
the past few months, owing to an attempt to awaken public in- 
terest in favor of the erection of a Foundling Hospital in Phila- 
delphia. 
During the year 1870, several long editorial articles wei’e pub- 
lished in the public journals in regard to this matter, all of them 
taking the affirmative side of the question. 
While we expect to speak more or less fully upon the whole 
subject of infant mortality, the matter to which we wish to di- 
rect especial attention is the death-rate among illegitimate chil- 
dren, and particularly among those who are generally and offici- 
ally denominated “ foundlings.” 
In discussing this subject, two propositions may be accepted as 
true : 1. That every human life is of political importance and 
ought to be made a source of wealth to the State. 2. That it is 
important for the State that children born in it be reared in such 
a manner as to secure most thoroughly their full physical, mental 
and moral development. 
That the former of these propositions is true is con- 
ceded, and it is so manifest that it needs no further discussion. 
The second seems to follow the first in regular order, and is 
almost equally obvious ; yet every one who understands the con- 
dition of American society and has studied these subjects at all, 
must have been convinced that the matter is sadly neglected and 
even unthought of by the vast majority of persons. Yet it is a 
great principle in the economy of nations that low physical, men- 4 
tal and moral development detract most rapidly from national 
strength and usefulness. 
If the first of the three he true, then, when an individual be- 
comes the subject of disease, instead of being a source of wealth, 
he becomes a tax upon the community in which he lives; more- 
over, his offspring, by inheriting his infirmities, may themselves 
suffer, and so with his children’s children, until a whole family 
may cease to be productive and become positive consumers of the 
energies of others. This principle applied to races or nations is 
obvious enough, and in such a grand total would be observed by 
all, but when applied to individuals it is too often forgotten. No 
one can tell how many persons in this great city are to-night de- 
pending upon public and private charit}7 for their support, and no 
one can tell how many of these are ill from diseases acquired in 
infancy through neglect or ignorance upon the part of their 
parents or guardians. Such statistical information cannot be 
obtained, but I am impressed with the opinion that if the truth 
could be learned, it would prove most startling. 
The mental and moral education of outcast children is equally 
important to the community and the nation at large—for the 
higher is the development of the one and the more thoroughly 
the other is secured, the greater will be the capabilities of the in- 
dividual for usefulness, the more likely will he be found walking 
in the paths of virtue. It is too true that sin may find its way 
to gilded mansions, but it is a fact patent to all that the import- 
ant outbreaks against public order are among the lower classes, 
and that among these vice seeks no longer to hide itself, but be- 
fore the world openly boasts of its existence. Upon the outcast 
among the lower orders the public money is squandered, and by 
them hospitals, houses of correction and prisons are demanded, 
and it is with the uneducated and abandoned children of the lower 
classes that these are filled to overflowing. We, in America, 
where few statistics are to be obtained, know nothing of the pro- 
portion of illegitimate children and foundlings among the inmates 
of our public institutions, but some information upon this subject 
has been collected abroad. Hill, in his work on crime, writes, 
that Mrs. McMillan, who had charge of the female department of 
the Glasgow prison, states that a majority of the large number of 
female prisoners who had come under her care were illegitimate. 
In France, in 1853, it is said that of 5,158 persons in the bagnios 5 
of that country, 391, or 6.19 per cent., were illegitimate, and that 
146, or 2.53 per cent., were foundlings. At the same time there 
were 18,205 persons in the State prisons, of whom 880, or 4.83 
per cent., were illegitimate, and 361, or 1.43 per cent., were found- 
lings. 
This statement, however, gives no very definite idea of the fre- 
quency of crime among the general population and among the 
special class of which we have been speaking. Much more im- 
portant is the fact that one out of every 1,300 Frenchmen becomes 
the subject of legal punishment, while one out of every 158 per- 
sons who were formerly foundlings is to be found in prison. The 
assertion is made that the same proportion holds good in the 
houses of correction, and probably also in almshouses. 
Accepting them as true, the statement that every infant life has 
a political value, and that it is to the interest of the State to in- 
sure the thorough physical, mental and moral development of her 
children, let us turn our attention to the study of the statistical 
information which we possess in regard to the death-rate among 
children in the community at large, and afterwards to that of the 
separate class which we may denominate abandoned infants or 
foundlings. 
According to the returns of the Board of Health of Philadel- 
phia, there were born in this city, during the five years ending 
December 31, 1810, 85,951 living infants and 3,933 dead. During 
the same period there died, among the living infants, 19,221 chil- 
dren one year old or under, or a mortality of 22.36 per cent, 
during the first year of life. Of those that died when they were 
between one and two years old, there were 6,409, or of all the 
living children born in this city during that period, 25,636 died 
before they were two years old—a mortality of a fraction more 
than 29.82 per cent. Between birth and the age of five years, 
31,662 died, or a mortality of a little more than 36.83 per cent. 
This death-rate is certainly startling enough, and the mortality 
is largely confined to the first year, as has already been shown. 
To make this more plain, of the 31,662 persons who died before 
they reached their fifth year, 19,221, or a little more than 60.12 
per cent., died during the first year of life. This result is obtained 
by examining the figures as above stated, and is no doubt rather 
small. The source of error is in the record of births, the value 
of which is unfortunately much impaired by the carelessness of 6 
some medical practitioners in making returns. This is greatly to 
be regretted, and Mr. Addicks, the Health officer, calls attention 
to‘the fact in his last annual report, and urges greater care in 
future. The register of deaths is no doubt reliable, as no one can 
be buried without the proper certificate; and hence, we have 
another source of information in the comparison of the percent- 
age of deaths. 
Of all these that occurred in Philadelphia there were: 
1865, . 
1 year and under. 
. 25.01 per cent. 
1 to 2 years. 
1.98 
2 to 5 years 
9.51 
1866, . 
. 26.13 
k 
8.10 
8.43 
1861, . 
. 31.04 
u 
1.60 
6.12 
1868, . 
. 31.31 
u 
8.56 
6.22 
1869, . 
. 29.24 
li 
8.65 
8.14 
1810, . 
. 21.63 
u 
1.90 
8.14 
110.96 
49.39 
48.42 
The relation of these percentages for the six successive years 
is as follows: Of every 268.It, 170.96 are one year or under, 
49.39 between one and two years old, and 48.42 between two and 
five years old; or in other words, of every one hundred children 
dying in this city during that period, 63.23 were aged one year or 
less, and 36.77 were between one and five years old. There is, 
therefore, a disparity of over two per cent, in the two calculations. 
Our mortality among infants is about the same as that in New 
York, as is shown by examining the reports of the Board of 
Health of that city. If wTe compare it with that of other coun- 
tries, it appears somewhat excessive. According to Farr, 65,464, 
or 16.69 per cent, of the 392,224 children who were born in Eng- 
land in 1867, died before the completion of their first year—an 
excess against Philadelphia of 5.57 per cent. This difference is 
not more than is perfectly natural when we remember that all 
England is included in the calculation, and that the 16.69 per 
cent, is the combined result of a city and rural population. On 
the other hand, our mortality compares very favorably with that 
of the Austrian empire—in the wdiole of which, according to 
Ritter von Rittershain, of Prague, 25.36 per cent, of all the 
children born between 1855 and 1861, died during the first year 7 
of life, a difference of three per cent, in our favor. In Berlin, 
from 1816 to 1841, the mortality among infants under one jrear 
was 22.1, or about the same as our own. (Jacobi.) 
We may, therefore, conclude that the mortality among infants 
in Philadelphia compares very favorably with that of other large 
cities; but here, as in all large cities, there is a fearful waste 
of human life during the first five years of existence. This 
occurs chiefly among the working classes, as will be shown in the 
sequel, and a vast proportion of these deaths could be prevented 
by proper care and the diffusion of proper information; more 
than 50 per cent, of them are the result of ignorance or criminal 
carelessness. 
There is, however, a class of children to which I wish to direct 
especial attention, that is to those who are illegitimate. 
. The number of these annually born in Philadelphia it is im- 
possible to determine, as there is no separate registration of them. 
Mr. Acton (on Prostitution, pp. 218 and 279) gives the following 
statistics for Europe: 
Locality. 
England, . 
Period. 
1867, 
Per cent, 
of all births. 
5.9 
Scotland, . 
1866, 
10.1 
Spain, 
1864, 
5.5 
Italy, 
1865, 
5.1 
Holland, 
1864, 
4.1 
Belgium, 
1865, 
7. 
France, 
1864, 
7.5 
Prussia, 
1864, 
8.1 
Norway, 
1860, 
8.4 
Sweden, 
1864, 
9.5 
Austria, 
1864, 
10.9 
Wurtemberg, 
1864, 
16.4 
Bavaria, 
1862, 
22.5 
Vienna, 
1866, 
51.5 
Paris, 
1867, 
28.1 
Berlin, 
1863, 
15.9 
Edinburgh, 
* * 
1866, 
10.2 
London, 
1867, 
4.1 
Average 12.8 8 
Tl'iis is obviously higher than the percentage of illegitimacy in 
Philadelphia. Probably that of London, which is about 4.1 per 
cent., is nearer the truth, and adopting this as the standard, of the 
17,194 children who came into the world in this city in 1870, 
about 700 were born out of wedlock. This estimate is certainly 
low enough. 
In the registration of deaths in Philadelphia, no distinction is 
made between legitimate and illegitimate children, but the mor- 
tality among them is fearful. Dr. Frazer, of Glasgow, (Trans, of 
Social Science Asso. of Great Britain for 1860, p. 653,) writing 
of this subject, says: “ I have no means of correctly estimating 
the number of illegitimate children who die early in cities; but 
judging from a somewhat lengthened experience as one of the 
medical officers in connection with the largest public dispensary 
in this city, I am of the opinion that but few of them survive the 
first year.” I, myself, have happened to have opportunities to 
attend quite a number of children of this class 
outside of hospitals, and it is my conviction that at least 75 per 
cent, of those born alive in this city die during the first year of 
their lives.* 
Many of these children are born in the Philadelphia hospital. 
Since 1864, the average number of births in that institution has 
been 246 per year, of which about 188 were illegitimate. Among 
these the mortality, in the institution, is not inordinately large; 
but many of the women obtain positions as wet-nurses from four 
to six weeks after their confinement, putting their children out to 
board. Almost all of these infants perish. I have, whenever 
opportunity offered, obtained information in regard to them after 
* Since this page was written I have obtained the last volumes (xi and 
xii) of the Transactions of the Obstetrical Society of London, which con- 
tain the report of a committee appointed by that body about two years 
ago to investigate the subject of infant mortality in Great Britain. On 
that committee were Drs. Hall Davis, Tyler Smith, Robert Barnes, 
Meadows, Playfair, and others—all noted men, known wherever medical 
science is taught—and they believe the mortality among illegitimate 
children in London to be precisely what has been stated here—75 per 
cent, during the first year. They also quote Mr. Jones, of Wales, who 
says, “ 70 to 80 per cent, of illegitimates die within the first year.” 9 
they left the hospital, and my strong conviction is that 90 per 
cent, of them succumb before the end of their first year. 
The deaths among illegitimate children certainly swell in no 
small degree the sum of infant mortality in large cities, and ac- 
cording to my observation, this is due to neglect and deficient 
nutrition. 
The poor victims of misplaced confidence have no sooner given 
birth to their children than they are abandoned by their heartless 
seducers and turned into the world outcasts from society. The 
result is, that one of two courses is open to them to rid themselves 
at once and summarily of their burden—by criminal means, or to 
delegate the care of their children to others, and go forth and 
earn a livelihood for both. The result is almost equally fatal to 
the child in either case, for when it is separated from its mother 
during the day its feeble life soon goes out because it is deprived 
of the natural aliment and care which she would have gladly 
given it, if fortune had smiled upon her more kindly; or there is 
another course open to her. Clinging to her child, she may strug- 
gle on amidst poverty and distress until, to obtain daily bread for 
both, she yields once more to temptation, and plunges for a 
■whole life-time into the dark vortex of sin, to travel, with deep 
yearnings for a better life, the bitterest path which human feet 
can tread. This is no fancy picture. I have seen it here in Chris- 
tian Philadelphia,—not once, but many times ; and there are in 
this city to-day, hundreds and hundreds of suffering and mis- 
guided women struggling in a dark, deep stream, which >7111 soon 
overwhelm them for want of a kindly hand to aid them. 
Por these and their mute children, I would raise my voice and 
entreat those kindly disposed, to aid them, and I would urge the 
government, in its own interest and for the sake of humanity, to 
protect them by the strong arm of the law. 
That these mothers should destroy their own offspring is not 
surprising, and it is only too probable that infanticide is not a 
rare crime in Philadelphia. As yet the coroner has never published 
any annual reports, but through the kindness of Mr. Daniels and 
Mr. Sees, I have obtained access to the records of that officer, 
from 1863 to the present time. During that period, 864 inquests 
were held on children one week old or under, or an average of 132 
per year. 
The remarks that I am about to make, are based chiefly upon 10 
the results of the inquests from November 1, 1863, to October 31, 
1866, and from November 1,1869, to March 31, 1870. 
The following carefully prepared tables furnish the information 
which we possess in regard to this subject: 
DEATHS OF INFANTS UNDER ONE WEEK OLD ON WHICH 
INQUESTS WERE HELD BY THE CORONER. 
November Is/, 1863, to December 31s/, 1863. 
(Out of 119 inquests held during the same period.) 
White. 
Colored. 
Verdicts. 
— 
Remarks. 
Male Female 
H 
Male 
Female 
Eh 
Unknown Causes 
2 
2 
2 
One found in a 
water closet. 
Still-Born 
4 
1 
5 
1 
1 
6 
Want of Medical 
Attention 
1 
2 
3 
3 
Exposure andNe- 
gleet 
1 
1 
1 
Totals 
7 
3 
10 
1 
1 
2 
12 
10 per centum of 
all the inquests. 
January Is/, 1864, to December 31s/, 1864. 
(873 inquests.) 
White. 
Colored. 
Verdicts. 
— 
Remarks. 
Male; Female 
1 
H 
Male 
Female 
Eh 
Unknown Causes 
12 
4 
16 
2 
2 
18 
One probably still- 
born. 
Still-Born 
24 
13 
37 
10 
4 
14 
51 
Exposure and Ne- 
gleet 
1 
1 
1 
Infanticide 
1 
1 
2 
2 
The male was 
thrown out of 
the window by 
its mother. The 
female was kill- 
ed with lauda- 
num. 
Totals 
38 
18 
56 
13 
4 
16 
72 
:8£ per centum of 
all the inquests. 11 
January 1st, 1865, to December 1865. 
(931 inquests.) 
White. 
Colored. 
Verdicts. 
c3 
Grand 
Eemarks. 
Male 
Female 
Male 
i 
Female 
EH 
Unknown Causes 
19 
9 
28 
ii 
3 
14 
42 
i Includes colored 
twins, male and 
female. 
Still-Born 
1 
1 
i 
1 
2 ' 
One caused by in- 
jury to the mo- 
ther. 
Exposure and Ne- 
gleet 
6 
3 
9 
i 
1 
10 
Asphyxia. ) 
1 
1 
2 
2 
Suffocation. 
2 
2 
2 
Debility 
2 
2 
i 
1 
2 
4 
Accidentally 
drowned 
1 
1 
1 
Hemorrhage 
1 
1 
1 
Natural Causes... 
i 
1 
1 
Totals 
29 
17 
46 
15 
4 
19 
65 
7 per centum of 
all the inquests. 
January 1st to October 31 st, 1866. 
(829 inquests.) 
White. 
Colored. 
. 
Verdicts. 
— 
ei 
5 
Grand 
Total 
Eemarks. 
Male 
Female 
H 
Male Female 
H 
Unknown Causes 
11 
10 
21 
1 
4 
5 
26 
Exposure and Ne- 
gleet 
1 
1 
1 
Asphyxia. ) 
9 
9 
18 
2 
2 
20 
Suffocation. ) 
1 
1 
1 
Debility 
1 
1 
1 
Found Drowmed. 
4 
1 
5 
5 
Natural Causes... 
1 
1 
2 
2 
3 
Want of Medical 
Attention 
1 
1 
1 
Spasms 
2 
2 
1 
1 
3 
Violence 
1 
1 
2 
2 
One supposed to 
have been stran- 
gled by the um- 
bilical cord. 
Totals 
29 
22 
51 
6 
6 
12 
63 
7 3-5 per cent, of 
all the inquests. 12 
From, November 1, 1869, to December 31, 
(1153 inquests.) 
1870—15 months. 
White. 
Colored. 
Verdict. 
*-> 
•8 
Remarks. 
Male! Female 
Male Female 
H 
Unknown Causes 
25 
10 
351 
6 
2 
8 
43| 
Found in yard, 2 ; 
cellar, 1 ; cul- 
vert, 1 ; lot, 3 ; 
street, 2; dock 
1; alley, 1 ; 
bridge, 1; 1 died 
in almshouse. 
Still-Born 
6 
2 
8 
10 
2 
12 
20 
One found in a 
field. 
Inanition 
5 
5 
10 
1 
4 
5 
• 15 
Asphyxia 
6 
3 
9 
3 
3 
6 
15 
One found in cess- 
pool, one found 
in lot. 
Suffocation 
2 
2 
2 
One a premature 
birth, suffocated 
in a cess-pool. 
Debility 
2 
3 
5 
3 
3 
8 
One case—death 
accelerated by 
being thrown 
into Cohock- 
sink Creek. 
Found Drotvned. 
2 
1 
3 
8 
Premature Birth. 
1 
1 
1 
1 
2 
Strangulation ... 
2 
2 
2 
One strangled by 
unknoAvn per- 
son, found in a 
AATater-closet. 
Gunshot wound.. 
1 
1 
1 
Killed by its 
feeble - minded 
mother. 
Exposure and ne- 
gleet 
5 
3 
8 
1 
1 
9 
Want of Medical 
Attention 
1 
1 
1 
Spasms 
1 
1 
3 
3 
4 
Pneumonia 
1 
1 
1 
Cholera Morbus.. 
1 
1 
1 
Totals 
58 
29 
87 
24 
leko 
127 
,11 per centum of 
1 
1 
all the inquests. 13 
January 1 to March 31, 1871.—191 Inquests. 
Verdict. 
White. 
Iz 
o 
H 
Colored. 
H 
Grand 
Total. 
Eemarks. 
Male 
Female 
Male 
Female 
Unknown Causes 
Still-Born 
Asphyxia 
Strangulation 
Exposure and ne- 
glect 
Want of medical 
attention 
Difficult Labor.. 
11 
3 
1 
1 
1 
4 
1 
1 
2 
1 
2 
15 
4 
2 
3 
1 
2 
1 
3 
2 
3 
2 
15 
7 
3 
1 
2 
1 
One found in in- 
let, one in cul- 
vert, one in run, 
one in pond. 
Two found in 
boxes, both col- 
ored males. 
One strangled by 
umbilical cord, 
found in water- 
closet. 
One by doctor, 
or the mother. 
One found in an 
asli-pile with a 
string around 
its neck. 
Totals 
17 
11 
28 
5 
5 
33 
per centum of 
all the inquest s. 
TOTAL SUMMARY OF INQUESTS BY THE CORONER 
From November 1, 1863, to October 31, 1866, and from November J, 1869, 
to March 31, 1871. 
Period. 
No. of Months. 
No. of Inquests on 
Infants. 
Average No. of inquests 
| each month on Infants. < 
Total No. of inquests 
for the same period. 
Average No. of inquests 
each month on infants 
and adults. 
Percentage of inquests 
on infants compared j 
with the total No. 
No. of infants unknown. 
Nov. 1 to Dec. 31,1863 
Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 1864 
Jan. 1 to Dec.* 31, 1865 
Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, 1866 
Nov. 1, 1869, to Dec. 31, 1870.. 
Jan. 1 to March 31, 1871 
2 
12 
12 
10 
14 
3 
12 
72 
65 
63 
127 
33 
6 
6 
5-jAj 
fi A 
UI 0 
0 1 
1 
119 
873 
931 
839 
1153 
191 
594 
721 
77 T% 
82 [%- 
82 f\ 
63| 
10 
8* 
7 
7| 
11 
m 
5 
30 
18 
22 
63 
21 
Totals 
52 
372 
7 2 
•T? 
4096 
52f§ 
9* 
159 
About 40 have the ages specified—varying from 2 hours to 7 days. 14 
From this it will be seen that the percentage of inquests on 
children under one week old has increased since 1863. In the 
second half of that year it was 10, in 1864 in 1865 it had 
fallen to 1 per cent., in 1866 If, but in 1870, the number rose 
again to 11, and from January 1 to March 31 of the pi’esent 
year it has risen to per cent., or in other words, nearly one- 
fifth of all the examinations made by the coroner during that 
time have been upon children one week old. It is impossible to 
say precisely how many of these infants had perished by vio- 
lence, but it is a significant fact, that Dr. Shapleigh, coroner’s 
physician, says that it is his opinion that a majority of these, 
which he examines, have been murdered. If this is true, nearly 
one hundred infanticides come under the notice of the coroner of 
Philadelphia in one year. 
The verdicts given by the coroner’s juries strongly support the 
same view, for out of 864 inquests upon persons under one week 
old, 210 are reported to have perished from “unknown causes,” 
293 from “asphyxia,” 94 were “still-born,” 62 from “exposure 
and neglect,” and 22 died “from want of medical attention.” 
This last verdict demands more than a passing notice. It should 
not only figure largely in the coroner’s records, but also in the 
reports of the Board of Health. 
Few persons outside of the medical profession, and few in it, 
who have not practiced among the poor, can conceive how many 
children die from want of proper medical advice. Among the 
poorer classes it is not uncommon to postpone sending for the 
doctor until near the close of the life of the child, and every phy- 
sician has often been told, when called to one of these patients, 
that it was not expected that he would cure the infant, “ but you 
must come, you know, as we must have a line to bury the little 
darlint.” As our laws now stand, I am informed by competent 
legal authority, there is nothing to prevent any physician from 
giving the usual certificate in these cases. I have been tempted 
many times to call the coroner to inquire into the causes of death 
in such cases, and I am firmly convinced that some legislative 
action is needed upon this subject, in order to prevent physicians 
giving certificates in cases where careless and heartless parents 
or others have neglected to procure the necessary medical advice 
until their children were past recovery. 
But, to return to the coroner’s records—out of the 864 verdicts 15 
which we are considering, onty 82 are marked as cases of infanti- 
cide. Of these 38 were drowned, IT strangled, 10 suffocated and 
killed by being thrown down cesspools, from windows, and in- 
jured in other ways. There is no doubt, however, that many of 
those registered as dying from unknown and other causes, were 
really murdered. The reports of the Board of Health are 
equally suspicious, for we find that in 1870, 49 infants died from 
“asphyxia,” 457 of “convulsions,” 433 of “debility,” 214 of 
“ exhaustion,” while the number of “ still-births” was 822. These 
are all exceedingly questionable expressions, but the number of 
still-births is not inordinately large, for they comprise only 4.78 
per cent, of the whole number, while at the Philadelphia Hospital, 
which may be taken as a standard for comparison, there were 115 
infants dead-born in 1490, in other words, 7.71 per cent., an excess 
in favor of this city of 2.93 per cent. Only children under one 
week old are included in this calculation, while no doubt many 
older than this perish through violence, and a large number die 
before they are one year Qld from neglect—as criminal as the 
actual act of murder. 
It must be remembered, too, while considering this subject of 
infanticide, that very many of the bodies of murdered infants 
never come under the notice of the coroner, but thrown down 
cesspools, into culverts, or into the rivers upon the east and the 
west, they rest until the sea and the earth shall give up their 
dead. 
It seems conclusive, therefore, that infanticide is not a rare 
crime in Philadelphia, jmt it is one which is usually undetected 
and unpunished. This aspect of the subject shows very plainly 
that some means should be adopted to preserve the lives of these 
children. 
Many of the infants abandoned in this city are admitted to the 
Philadelphia Hospital, and occupy a room in the southeast corner of 
the institution. The apartment is well ventilated and lighted, and 
the children well clothed. They are all well fed, the milk being 
supplied from cows fed upon the farm connected with the hospital. 
The supply of this is ample, and its quality is as good as that 
in the country, and much better than that furnished many of the 
wealthiest families in the centre of the city. During the three 
years Avhich ended September 30, 18T0, 245 children were admit- 
ted to that room. Of these 162 died, 42 were discharged and 30 16 
were adopted. Of the remaining 8 we have no record. During 
that time there was, therefore, the terrible mortality of 66.12 per 
cent., the 8 children of whom there was no record being included 
in the calulation. 
This statement, however, represents but one side of the truth, 
and to obtain all the information which may be derived from 
these statistics, we must study the mortality at different ages. 
The following table represents this in 232 cases: 
Age. 
Admit- 
ted. 
Died. 
Di«- 
charged. 
Adopt- 
ed. 
Remain- 
ing. 
Percentage 
of Mortality. 
Under 2 months 
TO 
51 
1 
16 
2 
T2.85 
Between 2 & 6 months 
T4 
58 
5 
T 
4 
T8.3T 
“ 6 & 12 “ 
23 
14 
6 
2 
1 
60.86 
“ 1 & 2 years 
55 
32 
21 
2 
58.18 
“ 2 & 3 “ 
10 
3 
4 
3 
30 
Total 
232 
158 
3T 
30 
T 
68.1 
It is to be regretted that a larger number of cases could not be 
made available, but unfortunately the early records of the de- 
partment have been mislaid. As thus stated, however, the above 
results are not suited for comparison. 
In estimating the infant mortality of the city, we dealt chiefly 
with children under one year old, and hence those older than this 
must be excluded from the calculation. Of those aged one year 
and under, there were 161, of whom 123 died, a mortality of 
73.65 per cent. We have previously learned that 29.82 per cent, 
of all the children born in Philadelphia die before they have com- 
pleted their second year. Therefore the death-rate among the 
foundlings is about 43.83 per cent, more than that of all Phila- 
delphia. 
Park as this record is, it is not by any means the worst aspect 
of the case. The table shows that a large number of the chil- 
dren were adopted, and upon examining the records, it was found 
that those thus removed were inmates of the wards for an average 
period of only 11 days. This was certainly not long enough to 
greatly endanger their lives, and in estimating the mortality, they 
may with justice be excluded from the calculation. Of these 
there were 30, and excluding them the mortality is raised to the 
terrible number of 78.21 per cent. 
This fearful result is not due to hereditary disease, for when 17 
they enter the institution most of these children are ordinarily 
healthy, and the high mortality is largely due to acquired dis- 
orders, for on turning to the causes of death we find that of the 158 
infants who perished, 118 or *14.69 per cent, died from diseases 
of the digestive system, while only 40 or 25.31 per cent, died 
from other affections, and we cannot but believe that if these 
children had been placed under favorable circumstances, a fair 
proportion of them would have thriven and done well. 
I cannot leave the statistics I have just furnished Avithout one 
other remark. I make it in simple justice to the twelve gentle- 
men who composed the Board of Management of the Philadelphia 
Hospital. It is no fault of theirs that this fearful mortality lias 
been going on there, and when their attention was called to it 
they promptly did all they could to relieve the condition of these 
abandoned children, but unfortunately they are hampered on 
every side, and their hands are bound as with bands of iron by 
the inhumane and unwise action of City Councils. 
Comparatively few persons in this city know the vast extent 
and importance of the Philadelphia Hospital, and many are dis- 
posed to complain when informed that nearly $500,000 were ap- 
propriated for its maintenance in 18*70. But it is at once apparent 
that this complaint is unfounded when we learn that here in 
Philadelphia, Avith her wide reputation for humanity and charity, 
our sick poor are maintained at an average cost of $2 per Aveek 
per individual, food, nursing, medicines, clothing and all other 
necessaries being included in this estimate. This is true notwith- 
standing all other large and well-conducted hospitals in this or 
any other civilized country spend on an average $4 or its equiva- 
lent per Aveek for the support of each individual within their 
walls. 
Yet notwithstanding this notoriously low figure, the Board of 
Managers of the Philadelphia Hospital are accused of extrava- 
gance by sensational and untruthful scribblers in the public jour- 
nals. It is hardly to be presumed that these will have any influ- 
ence Avhen the truth comes to be knoAvn, but as matters are now, 
every effort made to increase the annual appropriation has failed 
to meet with a proper, hearty response. On the other hand, it 
must not be forgotten that the officers of the city government are 
under the influence of an unhealthy public sentiment, and that 18 
many of the community believe that there is an exorbitant ex- 
penditure of the public means for the support of the sick poor of 
the city, and it seems to us that the time has come for the whole 
subject to be carefully reviewed, when it can undoubtedly be 
shown that the annual appropriation for this object is shamefully 
small. 
But to return to our main theme. Philadelphia is not alone 
in this fearful mortality among her foundlings, for at the “Nur- 
sery and Child’s Hospital,” New York—an “ Institution under 
the assiduous management of 35 estimable ladies belonging to the 
best society” of that city—the mortality, according to Dr. Jacobi, 
is 50 per cent., notwithstanding the children in it are half wet- 
nursed and half bottle-fed. The women acting in the capacity of 
nurses are well clothed, their food is good and plenty, and the 
medical attendance is efficient. It has been previously stated 
that the mortality among the foundlings at the Philadelphia Hos- 
pital admitted under two years old is G9.81 per cent.; there is 
therefore an excess against us of 19.81 per cent. This compari- 
son is not unjust. The infants received enter in about the same 
conditions, for Dr. Jacobi says that the average age of those that 
are received at the New York Hospital is 4 to 5 months, and he 
further states that the mortality of the nursery, “ if all the ad- 
mitted infants were new-born instead of being 4 to 5 months, 
would be so appalling that he is glad he is not required to state 
its exact figures;” but estimating this by comparison with the 
death-rate of infants one }mar old and under in New York, he 
says it would amount to 73 per cent.* 
At the “ Infant’s Hospital,” Randall’s Island, New York, the 
results are equally unfavorable. During the first half of 1869, 
606 were admitted, of whom 362 died, a mortality of 59.73 per 
cent., or 10.08 per cent, less than in Philadelphia. The average 
age of these children at the time they came into the institution 
was four months and fourteen days. 
The death-rate in these three hospitals is hardly lower than 
that in the foundling asylums of Europe at the close of the last 
and the commencement of the present century. The following 
table, derived partly from Dr. Jacobi’s pamphlet and partly from 
* “ Raising and education of abandoned children,” pp. 37, 39. 19 
Dr. Routh’s work on infant feeding, establishes the truth of this 
assertion: 
Per cent. 
Period. 
Remarks. 
Paris, 
60. 
1789, 
died before end of first year. 
Dublin, . 
98. 
1791, 
tt 
tt tt 
St. Petersburg, 
85.6, 
1772-1784, 
tt 
tt tt 
tt 
97. 
1785, 
tt 
tt tt 
tt 
50. 
1830-1833, 
tt 
tt tt 
Vienna, . 
92. 
1811, 
tt 
tt tt 
Brussels, 
79. 
1811, 
tt 
tt tt 
Madrid, 
67. 
1811, 
tt 
tt tt 
All France, 
60. 
1824, 
Paris, 
50. 
1838, 
Belgium, 
54. 
1823-1833, 
died before end of first year. 
Moscow, 
66. 
1822-1831, 
tt 
tt tt 
All France, 
75. 
1818, 
tt 
60. 
1824, 
Paris, 
50. 
1838, 
Barcelona, 
60. 
at the close of last century. 
Marseilles, 
90. 
tt 
tt tt 
Florence, 
40. 
tt 
tt tt 
Irkutsk, 
100. 
died before end of first year, 
We will noAv study the causes of these fearful death-rates, and 
at the onset of this investigation it is to be remembered that no 
single influence has produced this result, but that it depends upon 
a variety of causes. We have every reason to believe, from the 
statements of Dr. Jacobi, who, when he wrote the pamphlet from 
which we have been quoting, was a member of the Medical Board 
of the New York Nursery, that that asylum is well built and in 
good hygienic condition, and that the little patients are well cared 
for; yet, to use his own language, they have been “ out-Heroding 
Herod ”—language which did not fall as a flattering unction upon 
the ears of the Board of Management. So startled were they by 
Dr. Jacobi’s bold declaration of the truth that they, like too 
many other unscientific philanthropists, sacrificed the services and 
attempted to detract from the veracity and professional reputation 
of an able and intelligent physician, rather than abandon their 
own murderous schemes—which, however, it must be acknow- 
ledged, were intended to preserve, but which in the end only added 20 
to the already fearful waste of human life. The New York Nur- 
sery then shows that the high percentage of deaths is not the re- 
sult of bad nursing, imperfect medical attendance, or poorly 
devised hospital accommodations. 
Two grand causes of this mortality may be cited: 1. The want 
of proper nutriment. 2. The aggregation of many infants in one 
or more confined apartments. v The want of proper nutriment is 
an exceedingly important element in the discussion of this ques- 
tion, as is shown by the results of all foundling asylums where 
children are dry-nursed. The results of the other hospitals already 
named, show this most conclusively, and it may be positively 
asserted that young children committed to the care of such insti- 
tulions, have a very small chance of living until the end of their 
first year. That partial wet-nursing will not obviate this diffi- 
culty is proved most conclusively by Dr. Jacobi’s statistics. 
Science has yet discovered no substitute for the natural ali- 
ment of the child which is adapted to its wants in large cities. 
Yet children will thrive and do well, and the mortality among 
them be comparatively small, provided they are bottle-fed in the 
county. It is impossible to furnish any statistics to prove this 
statement, but it is asserted by many intelligent suburban physi- 
cians, whom we have met, that they experience comparatively little 
difficulty in raising infants on artificial food—in other words, 
carefully prepared cow’s milk. Dr. Hiram Corson, of this State, 
in an able pamphlet published in 18T0, says that children can be 
easily raised upon this diet. Mr. Selby Norton, Fellow of the 
Obstetrical Society of London, in speaking of the comparative 
merits of wet-nursing and pure cow’s milk, uses in 1870 the fol- 
lowing somewhat astonishing but very expressive sentence: “In 
my own practice I should deem it a matter of indifference which 
was used, even from the very first day of existence.” I am unable 
to say whether Dr. Norton practices his profession in crowded 
London or one of the suburban districts, but I feel confident that 
he and Dr. Corson, of this State, nearly or quite agree in their 
views, and I am equally confident, after a large experience as con- 
sulting physician to the largest hospital in this State, that infants 
admitted into such asylums do very well if wet-nursed and do 
very poorty if dry-nursed, even when good and well prepared 
cow’s milk is supplied them. I am equally convinced that the 
statistics of all foundling hospitals in the past and present cen- 21 
tury confirm this opinion, and it may be concluded that children 
have little chance of surviving unless they are well and carefully 
wet-nursed. The results at the Philadelphia Hospital, where I 
know from personal experience that the cow’s milk supplied is 
unusually good, prove this, and the statistics of the New York 
Nursery, where the children are half wet-nursed and half bottle- 
fed, corroborate the statement still more strongly. 
The aggregation of a large number of young children in one 
small room is exceedingly objectionable. The most healthy and 
carefully attended infant always has about it a faint, unpleasant 
odor. If a large number are confined together this is materially 
increased, and when it is mingled with other effluvia it becomes 
almost insupportable, and if general hospitals are difficult to keep 
pure and well ventilated, infant asylums are more so. The last 
difficulty is augumented by the peculiar susceptibility of young 
children to cold, which makes the ventilation of such institutions 
a matter of extreme importance. The aggregation of young chil- 
dren with artificial feeding is a prolific source of infant mortality. 
Another trouble is nursing. In large cities, as these institu- 
tions are now conducted, it is almost impossible to secure experi- 
enced and competent women to take charge of these children. 
This, however, is of minor importance, and is insignificant in 
comparison with the first and second objections. 
It is plainly true, therefore, that the erection of foundling 
asylums is strongly to be reprobated, and we cannot better insure 
the speedy death of the abandoned children of Philadelphia than 
by establishing such an institution in our midst. Opened from the 
best motives and reared through the highest impulses, it would 
but prove a “hecatomb of the innocents,” and instead of saving, 
it would be positively destructive to human life. The three in- 
stitutions which we have been comparing, yield worse results 
than the attempt to rear children in the narrow alleys and courts 
of this great city. 
By the records of our Board of Health, we cannot determine 
the difference in the number of deaths among the upper and lower 
classes, but Hr. Jacobi says that “of 100 infants born alive to the 
gentry of England (1844) there died 20; to the working classes, 50. 
In the aristocratic families of Germany there died in four years 
5.7 per cent.; amongst the poor of Berlin 34.5. In Brussels the 
mortality, up to the fifth year, was 6 per cent, in the families of 22 
capitalists, 33 amongst tradesmen and professional people, and 
54 amongst the workingmen and domestics.” Quoting De Vil- 
liers, he further writes that, “ the mortality amongst the children 
of the workingmen of Lyons is 35 per cent., and in well-to-do 
families and agricultural districts it is 10 per cent.” 
Upon comparing these statistics with those of the three hos- 
pitals we have been citing—the New York Nursery, 50 per cent., 
as it now receives children; 73 per cent., the estimated mortality 
of Dr. Jacobi, if all the infants were admitted at birth; 59 per 
cent, at Randall’s, and 66.12 per cent, at the Philadelphia Hos- 
pital—the excess against these institutions is found to be most 
alarming. The conviction that the mortality would be less if 
they were closed, and the children were left to the cold charities 
of the world, almost irresistibly forces itself upon us. 
These hospital statistics show, however, that some action in 
this matter is demanded. If any evidence is needed to make this 
more conclusive, it is to be found in the records at the coroner’s 
office, which show that the waste of infant life from neglect and 
infanticide is terrible. It therefore behooves us to consider what 
means should be adopted to diminish the mortality among ille- 
gitimate and abandoned children. 
Starting with the proposition announced at the beginning of 
this paper, that the life of every infant is of political value, and 
should be fostered, and if possible, preserved for the State, we are 
ready to recommend that the public authorities assume the care 
of all of these children. This should be done by the government 
rather than by any association of private citizens, because the tax 
upon the latter would be too severe, and because it is not indi- 
viduals but the community at large that is to be benefited by 
such action. The good will come to the latter by the diminu- 
tion of disease, and through improved physical, mental and moral 
development. 
The particular system to be adopted by the government is a 
subject open for discussion, and is too important to be more than 
foreshadowed in a paper of this kind It may be assumed, how- 
ever, from the statistics furnished, no large asylum is to be 
erected. 
On the other hand, some central station should be selected or 
a building be procured for the temporary reception of abandoned 
infants, and from thence they should be “ farmed outthat is, 23 
distributed among tbe population of the surrounding country, to 
be wet-nursed or raised by hand, as may be possible or practica- 
ble in each case. For taking charge of each child, the government 
should pay a reasonable price; and in order to secure the proper 
attention, it would not be amiss to pay to the nurses or mothers 
a small premium for each child who is well and hearty after he 
has reached a certain age. 
Here, however, the care of the child should not cease, but these 
nurses should be under proper surveillance, and the condition of 
the children should be ascertained at certain intervals during each 
year. 
A certain penalty might be required from the nurses in case 
they failed to do their duty. 
The importance of the government taking charge of these 
children is a matter that cannot be insisted upon too strongly. 
The system thus roughly detailed has been in operation in some 
countries of Europe for some time and has been found to work 
well. The authorities of the Foundling Hospital on Guilford 
street, London, admit none but illegitimate children, who remain 
in the institution but a few days, when they are sent to the 
country and wet-nursed. The mortality among them is twenty 
per cent, during the first year of life. In Berlin, Prussia, the 
children under the care of the authorities are now farmed out, but 
with what results, I am not able to say. In Hamburg, under the 
same system, the mortality among those infants admitted under 
six months old was twenty-seven per cent, in 1861. At the 
Foundling Hospital in Moscow, the infants are wet-nursed, the 
nurses being selected from those applying for the position. The 
average mortality in the institution for the three years ending 
with 1864, was 28.28 percent., and of the 35,887 infants admitted 
during that time, many were dying when received, and 521 
perished during the first hour. In Florence, where all the found- 
lings are farmed out, the death-rate from 1855 to 1865 was 30.13 
per cent, for the first year. During this period, the average 
number of children admitted each year was 2,286. 
At Prague the same system is adopted, and all infants are 
sent to the country if parties can be found to take charge of 
them. During the sixteen years ending in 1868, the asylnm in 
that city received, on an average, 2,812 infants yearly. Among 
those allowed to remain in the hospital, the mortality varied from 24 
10, in 1854, to 13.8 per cent., the highest, in 1862. Among those 
hoarded out, it varied from 13.82 per cent., the lowest, in 1861, 
to 28.09 per cent., the highest, in 1866. During that period, the 
average mortality among the former or hospital patients, was 
34.31 per cent., and amongst those farmed out, only 19.99 per 
cent.; a difference of 14.3 in favor of the latter. 
In all France, the mortality amongst children, during the first 
year of life, is 16 per cent., while of the abandoned infants of 
Paris, boarded out and completely watched, but 11 per cent, die 
before they are one year old, while of those sent out on the same 
conditions by private offices and not watched, 42 per cent, died 
during the first year. 
For these statistics I am indebted to Dr. Jacobi, who has 
already been so freely quoted. More might be added, but enough 
have been furnished to show how successful the system has been 
and how fatal its opposite was. 
Upon the score of economy, it is the one to be adopted, for in 
Europe the authorities in many places confess they have found 
it cheaper than the old method of treating these children. It is 
probably preferable to wet-nursing infants in hospitals, chiefly on 
account of the great difficulty in procuring women willing to 
suckle foundlings, while the expense necessarily entailed by such 
a system is so great as to make it almost impracticable, as not 
only the children but the women have to be maintained, and their 
services paid for. Whatever is the standpoint from which we 
study this subject, whether as humanitarians or political econo- 
mists, it will be found, I think, that the system of farming out, 
with proper surveillance, is the one to be adopted. 
But neither Philadelphia nor any other city should be satisfied 
with providing for those children who are denominated found- 
lings, that is, those abandoned in the street. We have before 
shown that it is probable that there are at least 100 illegitimate 
children born here every year, and it has also been shown that it 
is reasonable to believe that the crime of infanticide is not rare 
in this city. 
Every effort should be made to repress the latter and to 
preserve the lives of all these infants. In order to do this, there 
is no other obvious plan than for the government to assume the. 
control of, and to insure support to all the illegitimate children 
born here. The precise details by which such a system is to be 25 
carried out, we are not prepared to discuss, but it is certain that 
some legislative action is needed before such a plan could be 
brought into successful operation. Without this, it would only 
increase instead of diminish illegitimacy. 
As our laws upon seduction are now framed, it is the woman 
who is the greatest sufferer, and with the evidence of her guilt 
clinging to her, she is forced to go forth into the world an outcast 
from society during the rest of her life, while the seducer, upon 
the payment of a certain sum, or a paltry weekly stipend, pursues 
his ordinary avocations and in a little time regains his position 
in society. No observant person can have failed to notice the 
unequal punishment of the woman and the man, and if the gov- 
ernment in assuming the charge of her illegitimate children were 
to require the father to pay freely for the support of his child 
according to his means, and at the same time hold out to the 
abandoned mother the assurance that her illicit offspring would 
be well cared for, the terrible crime of infanticide would be less 
frequent, while at the same time, by appealing to the father 
through his pocket, that most powerful of all human arguments, 
illegitimacy would be diminished. 
After some remarks by Judge W. S. Pierce and Professor 
Richard Conrad— 
Mr. Richard Ashhurst said : 
I think nothing can be wiser or more judicious than to look 
at the remedy which Dr. Parry has recommended to prevent in- 
fant mortality. It was suggested that it should not be confined 
to foundlings, but should apply generally; and this would seem 
to be advisable, as statistics have shown, that the death-rate 
among the foundlings farmed out is absolutely less than the 
death-rate among the children of the middle classes. Dr. Parry 
stated that the mortality among those taken charge of by the 
French government is about seventeen per cent., while among 
those farmed out by their parents or others, about forty per cent, 
die, thus showing the care taken by such is inferior to that taken 
under regular government inspection. It would certainly look as if 
this was the best way of preserving foundling life. It would be a 
great boon to the lower, and lower middle classes, if an oppor- 
tunity were offered them also to farm out their children under a 26 
proper system of inspection, because we have here in Philadel- 
phia, especially in summer, a tropical climate, a climate which is 
fatal and destructive to infant life, and the only hope of keeping 
up our infant population is to resort to the neighboring country. 
Certainly unless children have their natural nutriment, the climate 
of Philadelphia in the summer months is a terrible risk for them 
to run, and some such scheme as this would be a desirable thing. 
In respect to the way the law treats the matter, I would say I 
am not disposed to take the same view that has been taken. I 
fancy that among foundlings there are very few who are the chil- 
dren of the seduced and the seducer. There is a vast number of 
foundlings who are the children of the degraded and criminal 
classes, born to the life in which they, perhaps, naturally take 
their places. Further than that, the great difficulty of the treat- 
ment of the seducer is its uncertainty. It has been found by 
lawyers, that, when such measures are taken, as suggested, and a 
man is to be punished by his pocket, that the seducer is made out 
to be the rich man, and not the poor one. However, the actual 
fact is, that the State must take up that matter without expecting 
necessarily to look to the author of the evil for reimbursement. 
Dr. Ludlow then said— 
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: 
The facts in regard to the mortality of children have been well 
expressed by Dr. Parry in his address this evening, and we must 
all admit that figures seldom lie. The next question is, how are 
we to prevent this ? The last number of the Transactions of the 
Obstetrical Society-of London, contains, in a significant report 
made by several gentlemen, Drs. Davis, Barnes and others, a series 
of rules, adopted, and directed to be promulgated, in regard to 
the rearing of children. The great deficienc}q not only in the 
lower, but in the higher classes, is the want of sufficient re- 
sponsibility on the part of parents in regard to the rearing of 
children. The anxiety to get rid of the care of the child makes 
them put it in charge of a hireling, who knows very little about 
it. Mothers will sometimes tell you they don’t mind bear- 
ing children, but they want to get rid of the care of them after- 
wards, and if they adopt the system of wet-nursing, or that 
of dry and wet nursing, they are so irregular about one, or 27 
combine the other in such a form, that the poor little creature 
has no power to digest its food, especially when the mother 
comes home, jaded from long walks, midnight revels or fatiguing 
exercise. 
These laws or rules laid down by the Obstetrical Society were 
to meet certain points, in such cases. In addition to this, they 
were also addressed to the lower classes. One cause of mortality 
among the children of these is the condition of their parents. 
You find among them an excessive amount of labor, and at the 
same time a habitation with bad ventilation, connected with bad 
nutrition in the mother. Mothers rush from their work, to take 
care of their children, when they are unfit to nourish them. 
Besides this we have the bad habits of the parents to contend 
with. They are too often intemperate, and how can we be sur- 
prised that there is this mortality among their children. Then 
again, we pass down to the classes where we have the illegiti- 
mate ; they are anxious to get rid of them, they are thrown upon 
the public, and taken to our public institutions to be reared. As 
a matter of course, no institution is able properly to nourish these 
children. The mortality is great in the higher, it is great in the 
middle, but it is greater in the lower classes. It has been sug- 
gested that they should be farmed out. We will not talk of farm- 
ing in the city. As far as the counti’y is concerned, I ask, in the 
first place, where are you to have it done ? Our rural population 
will not compare with that of the old world, and few of our farmers 
would be willing to receive these children in their homes. Their 
lives are hard enough at best, and they have enough to do to 
provide for their own offspring. 
I am not opposed to foundling asylums in the country, while I 
do not think they should be erected in the city. I would have a 
receptacle here in the large city, and a large establishment back 
in the country, where they would have all the appliances which 
are necessary for the purpose of rearing them with fresh air, 
large rooms and proper nourishment. 
These are some of the thoughts passing through my mind as the 
doctor was reading his admirable paper. But we cannot reach 
the matter until we inculcate high moral obligations, and furnish 
certain rules to enlighten the community on the subject, both in 
the highest circles and the lowest. The idea is, I am afraid, too 28 
prevalent that infant life is of little value, and that the child is 
better off' if it dies early. 
The doctor is often called in when the child is about dying, 
and apparently only to give a certificate. In my estimation, this 
procrastination in calling him, is only a slow way of killing them, 
and we should impress the enormity of this crime on the com- 
munity.