He identified the cause of a respiratory condition that once killed 10,000 infants annually in the United States and helped design a drug that drastically reduced mortality rates. He identified the cause of a respiratory condition that once killed 10,000 infants annually in the United States and helped design a drug that drastically reduced mortality rates. Clements, John A, Research, Colleges and Universities, Infant Mortality, Doctors, Lungs, Premature Babies, Drugs (Pharmaceuticals), University of California, San Francisco NYT > Science