Measured in lives

The movie "Philomena" discussed St, Mary's, a Catholic home for unmarried mothers. An historian, Catherine Corless, has spent a number of years studying the death records for the home. Her conclusion is that 796 children, from newborns to eight-year-olds, were deposited in a grave near the home during the 35 years it operated from 1925 to 1961. The children died from malnutrition and infectious diseases, such as measles and TB. It's somewhat ironic that the mass grave was a former septic tank.