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Show VIENNA DEATH RATE BECOMES APPALLING Condition of Children Even More Harrowing, Declares Authority on City's Desperate Plight. Five years of famine have resulted In greatly Increased mortality and morbidity In Vienna which before the war was counted as one of the healthiest health-iest cities In Europe. Figures prepared by Dr. Gustave Bohn, head of the Vienna Health Department, show that In 1913 the death rate was 15.3 per thousand. In 1918 the rate was 22.5 per thousand, an Increase of more than 47 per cent. Professor Hans Spel of the Pnl-verslty Pnl-verslty of Vienna, says that "even more terrible than the mo-tallty statistics sta-tistics are those referring to the condition con-dition of children and their mothers. Owing to under-nourishment few mothers moth-ers can nurse their babies, and the milk shortage affects not only Infants, but all children In spite of a) that has been done to help. At ' Professor Clemens Plrquet's clinic In the university uni-versity some 54,8-19 children were examined ex-amined In 1918. Only 4,637 of -hese or about one-thirteenth were passed as skin good, fat good ; 23,G09 were pale and thin, or very pale and very thin. "The health of these children shows most disquieting features. Skin disease, rachitis and Ba.low's disease are rife. "The chief medical officer of Vienna asks, 'What Is going to happen to these under-fed children, in whose bodies the germ of tuberculosis Is latent, when they reach the twenties, at which time It becomes active?'" To combat these conditions the American Amer-ican Relief Adniinistratior of which Herbert Hoover is chairman fed last winter lu the city 'of Vienna some S00.0O0 of the destitute ' and undernourished under-nourished children, supplylt.g them with a substantial meal of American food, served It) a , number of large kitchens opened fot that purpose. The conditions In Vienna are more or less typical of those In Poland and other countries of Central t.nd Eastern Europe. Last year the Relief Admln-Is; Admln-Is; ration wus able to reach some 3.500,-000 3.500,-000 under-nourished children ami this winter the program calls for the feeding feed-ing of a like numl er, but eight of the great charitable organizations of America have united under the name of the European Relief Council, of which Mr. Hoover Is the chairman The child feeding task will be carried on not only hy the American Relief Administration Ad-ministration hut hy the American lied Cross, the American Friends' Service Committee (Quakers), the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ In America, the Knights of Columbus, the V M. C. A. nnd Y. W. C. A. An ap peal for $.".3.00! 1.000 bus been made and the organizations named have Joined In raising the sum. |