Women and Children First

The International Maternal and Infant Welfare movement of the last decades of the 19th century and first decades of the 20th was a direct response to high maternal and infant mortality rates and falling marital fertility in most countries of the world. In some it was given impetus by major conflicts such as the Boer War and World War I, which decimated populations, robbed nations of their young men and concentrated attention on ensuring the survival of future generations to people lands and empires. Imperialist concerns were bolstered by a range of economic and humanitarian motivations and the desire to save the lives of mothers and young children. "Women and Children First" examines these efforts to reduce maternal and infant deaths in five continents from Australia, South Africa, Burma and Malaya to Britain, Holland and North America. Obstetric services, maternity nursing, hospital facilities, infant welfare services, and financial assistance varied greatly from country to country. Within individual countries the variation in the amount of help provided could also be great.