1 School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
0nmany occasions previously this annual article has included serious criticism of the record of the United States as to infant mortality. It is satisfying, therefore, to report that 1967 marked a second year of a downward trend and that early tentative reports for 1968 are encouraging that the trend has continued. Nevertheless, as will be seen later, there is still a long way to go, and there are too many unacceptably high rates in particular population groups.
Each year at this time a report is presented of the national situation in respect of the most significant vital rates, that is live births and infant deaths.