Infant Care. Bureau Publication No. 8. [West, Mary Mills ].

Mary Mills West of the ChildrenÕs Bureau wrote the present booklet at the request of Julia Julia Clifford Lathrop (1858 Ð 1932), the first Chief of the bureau. The booklet provided women with information on normal infant development and how to feed, clean, and treat common illnesses in infants. 6 x 9 " iv, 138 pp. Text figures throughout. Original pictorial tan paper wrappers. Some toning and creasing. Very good. Revised edition. First published in 1914 as the follow-up to Prenatal Care (United States Government Printing Office, 1913). All editions are scarce in commerce. Lathrop was appointed the Chief of the ChildrenÕs Bureau by President Taft in 1912, which made her the first woman bureau chief in the federal government. During her tenure, she prioritized child labor law reform; saw a tenfold increase in the ChildrenÕs Department budget; and worked to pass the Sheppard-Towner Act, the first federally funded social welfare measure in the United States. The Sheppard-Towner Act, which was in effect between 1921 and 1928, sought to curb infant mortality rates in the United States, particularly in rural areas. Copies of this booklet, as well as Prenatal Care, were distributed with funds allocated by the act. The Arizona State University Embryo Project Encyclopedia notes that Òfor some women, particularly those living in rural areas, the booklets were the only source of pregnancy and birth information available.Ó When Lathrop retired in 1922, she convinced President Harding to appoint Grace Abbott (1878 Ð 1939) as her successor. Lathrop went on to serve as president of the Illinois League of Women Voters. ÒPrenatal Care (1913), by Mary Mills West.Ó Arizona State University Embryo Project Encyclopedia (webpage). Lathrop, Julia Clifford.Ó VCU Libraries Social Welfare History Project (webpage).