LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,

CHILDREN'S BUREAU, Washington, March 8, 1915. SIR: I transmit herewith a study of infant mortality in the town of Montclair, N. J.

In this study the Children's Bureau cooperated with the health authorities of Montclair. The schedules were furnished by the Children's Bureau and the data were collected by nurses of the town health department under the direction of Mr. C. H. Wells, health officer. Miss Sophia A. Vogt, of the Children's Bureau, visited Montclair and started the inquiry. The material was tabulated in the bureau and the text written by Miss Margaretta A. Williamson, of the bureau staff.

This description of the life of babies in Montclair during one calendar year is of interest because it shows the facts regarding a particularly favored suburban community in charge of a notably efficient health officer. It is seen that the general infant death rate of Montclair was 84.6 as against an estimated rate of 124 for the birthregistration area of the United States for 1910. A reading of the report shows the variations above and below the average rate in the different localities of the town and their accompanying characteristic factors.

Respectfully submitted.

Hon. WILLIAM B. WILSON,

JULIA C. LATHROP, Chief.

Secretary of Labor.

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INFANT MORTALITY: MONTCLAIR, N. J.

INTRODUCTION.

The Montclair Board of Health in 1913 determined to conduct an inquiry into infant mortality in Montclair, basing its inquiry upon all the births which occurred in the town during the calendar year 1912 and proceeding according to the plan adopted by the Federal Children's Bureau for its series of infant mortality studies. Schedule forms, such as had been used by the Children's Bureau in its field. study in Johnstown, Pa., were furnished to the board of health, and a field agent of the bureau was sent to Montclair to explain to the local investigators the schedule questions and the bureau's methods of collecting statistical information. Two Montclair nurses visited the homes of the babies, interviewed the mothers, and filled out for each baby a schedule covering the first year of its life or as much of the first year as it survived. The fourth-ward mothers were visited by the board of health nurse. The other nurse was engaged to make the investigations in the rest of the town. Believing that a report of the results of this inquiry into infant mortality in a suburban community would be of interest, the scheduled information has been tabulated by the Children's Bureau.

In the report have been included a brief description of the town, an analysis of infant mortality in Montclair in 1912, and a discussion of the various social and civic factors which in Montclair seem to have been closely related to the problem of infant mortality.

The chief sources of information were as follows: Interviews with the Montclair mothers, who by their interest and cooperation made the inquiry possible; interviews with public officials and with doctors, nurses, and others who had been closely connected with infantwelfare work; annual reports of the town departments, particularly the full and detailed reports of the board of health; reports of social and charitable agencies; and personal observation of conditions.

In view of the decision to include in this inquiry all babies born in Montclair in 1912, and to study the conditions surrounding them during their first year of life, the birth certificates were copied from the records of the health officer for all babies born in that year, and a 12-months' lapse of time from the date of birth was allowed in each

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