Honolulu Record, September 9, 1948, vol. 1 no. 6, p. 1

Hewell Report Cites Child Death Causes

Citing premature birth as the leading cause of infant death, Dr. Barbara Hewell, chief of the bu­reau of maternal and child health and crippled children, reported that this cause is responsible for 36.4 per cent of all infant deaths in the Territory. Other causes are cardiac conditions, cancer and tuberculosis.

In her annual report, Dr. Hewell told of 36 conferences on maternal health held in the Territory dur­ing the year, which were attended by a total of 1,440 women. There were 14,522 births, an increase of 472 over 1947.

The mortality rate of 29.1 for each 1,000 live births is less than the national infant mortality rate, Dr. Hewell reported, but somewhat above the figure for certain states.