FOUNDLINGS AND FOUNDLING INSTITUTIONS THE Medical Society of the State of New York having passed, in its meeting of February 6th, 1871, the following preamble and resolutions: 1 Whereas, Humanity acknowledges the claims of every human being to life and to some degree of prosperity, and recognizes in every civilized country the right of every new-born to be protected and supported; and Whereas, Political economy requires the saving of a being which has given rise to outlay until and after it can become useful and repay the expenses incurred in its full development; and Whereas, The moral constitution of society requires that every member of society should obtain a sufficient training of its intellectual and moral powers; and Whereas, The mortality of infants, being large from natural causes, is three times larger in publie institutions destined for the maintaining of infants than in the general infant popula tion; and Whereas, The Board of Commissioners of Charities and Correction, always willing to be guided by competent advice and desirous of doing their best, have already had a report prepared for them suggesting changes and improvements in the raising of their infants: Therefore, Be it Resolved by the State Medical Society to appoint a committee to investigate and report, in the meeting of 1872, upon the following subjects: 1 A large portion of the statements and figures contained in this report have been copied from "Report on the Raising and Education of Abandoned Children in Europe, with Statistics and General Remarks," by A. Jacobi, M. D., 1870, and Inaugural Address, containing a Paper on Infant Asylums," N. Y. Med. Journal, January, 1892, by the same author. The former was printed in but a few copies, and is, therefore, not extensively known. 1. The causes of the fearful mortality of abandoned infants in general, and those in large public institutions in particular. 2. The reasons for the giving-up of large institutions, and the success of the dispersing system for abandoned infants, in every country of Europe where the preservative of lives was an object. 3. The causes of the unusually large infant mortality in the institutions in charge of either public or self-constituted authorities in New York City and State. 4. The plans and means for improving the condition of foundlings and abandoned children in New York City and State— a. During their infancy, when they are most subject to disease and death. b. During childhood and adolescence, when they require an education sufficient to make them useful members, and prevent them from becoming enemies of and dangerous to society. The President, Dr. S. Oakley Vanderpoel, appointed Dr. Jacobi, New York; Dr. White, Buffalo; Dr. Dean, Rochester; Dr. Thomas Hun, Albany; and Dr. Hutchinson, Brooklyn, a committee to investigate and report on the above-mentioned subjects. REPORT The greatest improvement of public morals in modern times consists in the acknowledgment of the principle of mutual solidarity; the principle that all beings are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that amongst these are life, liberty, and happiness; and the further principle that protection is due to the feeble. Thus it is that modern history has commenced to solve the serious questions of the rights of color, sexes, and ages. If there be any right belonging to the new-born and feeble infant, it is that of security of life and health. Under ordinary circumstances the care of the new-born infant belongs to the parents or their families; but there is a large number of infants who lack the necessary care and protection derived from their belonging to a family circle. A large number belong to parents sick in hospitals or confined in prisons, or to such as have died without leaving any means of sustenance for their offspring; a large number of in fants belong to parents or mothers who are not capable of providing for their entire necessities; arrother number have been abandoned by their legitimate or illegitimate parents or mothers. All of these categories, especially the latter, have a claim on the aid of the community. Provision for their wants ought to be made in the interest, first, of the children, who have a right to live; second of the community, which has the natural duties of humanity to perform and its own economical necessities and moral requirements to consider. In order to better understand this assertion, we refer to the following facts and considerations: Of the whole population of the countries of Europe, according to Wappaus, 33.66 per cent. are below fifteen years of age. Thus one-third of the living are consumers only, while they produce nothing at all. Between fifteen and twenty years, when most individuals are still unproductive, very many still preparing for their vocation or trade, are 9.72 per cent. But 48.88 per cent. are between twenty and sixty years, the period of activity and work. Between sixty and seventy years, a period of life which is almost unproductive, are 4.92 per cent., and beyond that age, where unproductiveness is the rule, there are 2.81 per cent. of the whole population. At all events, nearly one-half of the population are consumers only, before they are able to repay society for the sacrifices the community has to bring in order to raise them and render them productive. Thus a sound political economy requires the continuation of life until and beyond the period of full and unbiassed productivity. Whatever life is thrown away before is just as much capital thrown away. Therefore, both social, moral, and political economy insist upon the protection of the life of the newly-born and young infant. Humanity requires it, and common prudence commands the saving of a product after it has been called into existence and has given rise to an outlay of working power. Political economy need not be told that a mother who carries a child does less work than in normal circumstances. To waste the product after it has given rise to expense, which is equal to non-production, is a direct injury to national wealth and power. Every new invention in medicine and surgery, the forceps, vaccination, chloroform, have been so many means of increasing the national wealth by saving life. But this is not the only consideration of importance. The lost life is a dead loss, but the raising of unhealthy children, or vicious ones, amounts to a constant injury to society, a perpetual malignant disease eating the marrow of the land. If, therefore, any means are resorted to for saving the lives of, and providing an education for, the abandoned or orphan children, they ought to be sufficient, and amply so. If this duty be neglected, the punishment falling upon a community in particular, society in general, is but just. Neglect of either physical welfare or moral and mental education is equally dangerous. Insufficient physical development, depending upon incompetent nursing or scanty or injudicious feeding, results in the raising of a class of persons whose presence in society is a dead weight and an eating cancer. Feeble men, crippled women, raised by insufficient measures for the bringing-up of children, will require renewed efforts for their support on the part of society as long as they live. Thus capital is wasted on their being born, nursed, and supported. If they had never been conceived and born, it would have been better for society. As they exist, they have a claim on humanity. When they have facilities to work, society has a claim on them and will thrive through them; not otherwise. Thus raising the poor into healthy and robust persons is a direct gain. If the moral and mental education of the same class of individuals be neglected, there is more than a mere probability of demoralization being the result. Public order is destroyed by such a population, and public means squandered. Means that were saved in the raising and education of the babies will be required tenfold to sustain houses of correction and State prisons. In 1853 there were, in the bagnios of France, 5,758 persons. Of these 391 had been illegitimate children and 146 foundlings. In the State prisons, of 18,205 inmates, 880 were illegitimate and 361 foundlings. And the same proportion holds good for |