450503-4

APO 689. Indian baby 2 miles north-east of camp. M hoiding

thid three*day old infant. jie had stopped to share some candy and cookies
with this family group when we soon recognized that something unusual in the
yard. The sense was sitting on a bed which had been placed out in the sun
and when sae moved did not react with the smme vitality and agility as the
restoof the women. The young one, which still retained the shedding skin,
was lying on some dirty rags on the bed with one of them covering the head to
keep out the direct rays of the sun. Noticed particularly the filth of this
young ones surroundings. Even the blanket like covering used to hold the
baby smelled with a peculiar odor. The skin of the body still retains many
features which sloughs off at a later date. The umbilical cord had been
cut and tied with a piece of very crude and brown string. One of the most
pathetical things about this baby was the abnormality of the feet being both
clubed inward, a condition which they were quite concerned about. At the
mention of a medical hospital they frowned with a nine! nine! Apparently
not potting too much faith in our modern medical ideas, One of the first
thing they do with a new born child is to slapza bracelt or two on the arm
with enough expansion room to allow the ring to properly fit the arm when
mature. It then becomes inpossible to remove this bracelt unless cut from
the arm. To see young babies when visiting théseHindu homesis in not an
uncommon site and when M has the chance she will almost instinctively want
to get the:baby into her arms, This same feeling is also keen for anything
young such as baby goats and cogs, chickens, cows etc. We are informed by
certain British that 50% of all deaths occur before the age of 5 because of
poor unsanitary conditions, improper knowledge of handling at birth thru
quack midwives and thre the many commond diseases that run rampant thru the

villages. The cause, as I could readily see were in evidence on all sides.