Show Your Baby's Health By DR MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of the American Medical Association and of ol Hygeia the Health Magazine I Long before there were 1 clans or midwives no do domany dou doumany doubt many women bore children i z tH J without tho the help fi i either Frequently bo these mothers suffered and sometimes they J came ill or died as a ruu result resu t complications which today well controlled As human life became m 1 complex x and as ns conditions i ing changed the medical con of ot childbirth became in more re difficult Crowding of ot human hUeman hu hUe man beings brought greater greate chance chanco of ot Infection jj There Thero is a saying in medicine that a badly taught or ignorant midwife can kill more Von a than a highly educated dot doctor can cure 9 i If women omen made sure suro of at th theli ii ability to bear children fully ully and without complication by having a n suitable physical ex ex- beor beforehand hand if It they consulted competent medical advisers ad when they knew they we were going to have children an anthey and U they followed medical ady advice e carefully through tho the entire Pen peri period od before childbirth the number numbe of deaths would be greatly dimin and much ness later would be be- prevented A midwife cannot cannot because ol ot j her limited education be as con Df as a well wen trained doctor i The most Important training th thai thit t she can secure is that which gives give her sufficient knowledge and am judgment to now when to call foi medical assistance j jA A midwife may be able to recognize nize tho the presence of ot bleeding convulsions swelling r and similar complications bunot but bu not many any can recognize unfavorable rable r- r able physical conditions ant and wrong position of the child chUd early to enable the mothe to get the kind of ot help ne necessary essary A Whether a midwife a genera gener genei practitioner or a specialist should have charge chargo of ot the childbirth it wholly up to the mother Then Thel are few places in the countr where there is adequate contra centre of the tho tho training or qualification of midwives Tho The attention bi bia o oa i ia a specialist in obstetrics in th thc I best hospital is 18 rather more mora ea et q pensive than that of a a. genera generi practitioner Furthermore th then the are aro hardly enough obstetric ip p lt in tho United States t i take care of au all women in chI child birth General practitioners practitioner ri therefore handle most of th thi childbirths which occur t In uncomplicated cases mOl moi general practitioners can sec j excellent results There Ther is al alwa a athe the possibility however that the th will not be able to give as man hours of f time to the case as can be given by special b isIs J The work of the general practitioner practitioner takes him into all kinds o eases cases cases and he may have o to pass from an an person to the woman woma in childbirth All these considerations bo be carefully weighed by the theom worn wora oman an who is going to have a baby |