BIRTH CONTROL AS VIEWED IN 1923 BY A HIGHLY RESPECTED AMERICAN PEDIATRICIAN

Abstract

Dr. Richard Arthur Bolt (1880-1959) was both a greatly respected American pediatrician and an acknowledged leader in the development of maternal and infant hygiene programs. His chapter entitled "The Mortalities of Infancy" in Isaac Abt's (1867-1955) encyclopedic, nine-volume treatise on pediatrics, published between 1923 and 1926, contains this negative view of birth control.1 This terrific loss of life in utero or shortly after birth constitutes a serious problem from a biological as well as a social standpoint. Of recent years there has been an alarming increase in the frequency and actual number of induced abortions. This has gone hand in hand with the insidious propaganda for so-called "birth control" or "voluntary parenthood"—a movement which has gained momentum in France, Holland and New Zealand, and has gradually spread to England and the United States. While the birth control enthusiasts would indignantly disclaim any connection between the "contraceptive methods" of "voluntary parenthood" and induced abortions, it is very evident that the more "moral technique" of contraception must often break down and relief from the "accidents" which follow be frequently sought in induced abortion. Thus far contraceptive methods have been practiced largely by the elite and better educated classes. Those most able to bear children and meet their support have been the very ones to shirk the responsibility, while those for whom birth control is claimed to be a great boon still proceed to build up large families. It has been estimated that at least four children to a family are necessary to keep up the stock.