Women and children first ; international maternal and infant welfare, 1870-1945 /

A fascinating first chapter by Irvine Loudon appears to set the scene for this book of essays. In that chapter, Loudon explains the curious feature of maternal mortality, which, although declining slightly at the end of the 19th century, remained thereafter fairly constant until the 1930s, and only then took a steep decline. The value of this book would have been enhanced had the other 11 essays dealt with these issues. Many of them do, but others deal with a second, related but statistically distinct, issue of infant mortality where, in Europe and elsewhere, the mortality rates fell steadily throughout this period. Although juxtaposing the two issues is somewhat confusing, it is nevertheless a wonderful collection of well-written essays dealing with both issues in England (London), Australia, Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Recommended highly, for general reader through health-care professional audiences. J. Farley; Dalhousie University