Government Medical Care Betters Health Conditions Of Chippewa Indian Tribes

Four hundred health records of Indian children were examined and compared to the same number of health records of white children examined at rural clinics in the same part of Minnesota. Analysis shows the number of death of Indian children is greater than whites; the percentage of midwife deliveries among Indians is higher than among whites, the number of Indian babies breast fed is greater; there is little variation in the amount of rickets between breast fed and white children; Indian children have more physical defects and more positive lung findings, tuberculous glands, and skin diseases, probably due to traditions, superstitions and lack of specific knowledge concerning child care. The lack of prenatal care, unskilled midwife attendance, and the high incidence of tuberculosis are all factors influencing the Indian infant mortality rate.