Of 3 groups of pregnant women intending to be confined in the Toronto General Hospital, some were left on the poor diet they would have had, a similar group received supplemental food and a 3d on relatively adequate diet was stimulated to improve it by educational measures. During the entire course of pregnancy, patients in the 2 latter groups had fewer complications and were better obstetrical risks than those of the control group. This effect carried over into the 1st 6 mos. of the babies'' lives; the incidence of illness and the number of deaths in the control groups were many times greater than among the others.