In spite of all advances in the preparation of substitute feeding, the tendency in recent years has been to stress the great desirability of utilizing the breast. It has been estimated that about 80 per cent, of babies dying before the completion of the first year are bottle fed. Hence the most feasible and practical way of reducing infant mortality during the first year will lie in encouraging maternal feeding.
The possibilities of the human breast under proper control have been emphasized by the work of the lamented Sedgwick and his colleagues. With suitable care and manipulation, results can often be obtained that are little short of marvelous.
One of the most remarkable anomalies in vital statistics consists in the fact that in New York City the infant death rate is lowest in some of the poorest and most densely populated districts. Thus, in the twentysixth district, with a density