Imperial Valley press., 1913-05-23
6Y PAUL. S. HUNTER, N. D.,
Secretary Of the Colorado State Board
Of Health

6V PAUL. 5. HUNTER, NJ. D.,
Secretary Of the Colorado State Board
OF Health
written for the United Press ]
A babies sanitarium. located in The
heart Of the Rocky mountains, would
save the lives Of 100000 babies every
summer. or one million babies in ten
years.
If the children of the needy or
those whose parents are in moderate
circumstances were sent to such a san
itarium when sickness attacks them
they could be attended to by compel
ent physicians and nurses. given pure
milk. sanitary surroundings and the
benefit of the wonderful mountain air.
The results cannot be overestimated.
The very first year the infant mortality
of the country would be reduced -
per cent.
Colorado is the ideal spot in this
country for such sanitarium because
of its central location and because Of
its mountains. In my judgment tile
nation needs nothing more than it
needs such place where the lives Of
its future citizens and mothers can be
saved for 1t. Such a plan would be
real conservation-the conservation Of
human life. l do not say stop the plan
to conserve our forests and water falls
and other natural resources to take up
this plan. | merely say that the con-
servation OF our babies, the saving Of
one million lives in ten years, is every
bit il not more important than the
saving Of trees. What achievement
could Colorado or the nation ever hope
to accomplish that could compare with
this? Could philanthronist donate to
a more praiseworthy or more deserv
tional project could be put through
than the establishment of such sani-
tarium devoted exclusively to children
and open to every baby in the country?
There is no such place in America,
and Colorado-if the nation does not
at first enter into the plan-could es-
tablish such a sanitarium on a small
a place when it annually sends the
children. of the poor to the seashore
during the hot summer months. Bril-
liant results have followed in the wake
Of this philanthropy, but it is not,
enough. During all Of July and Aug
ust and sometimes In September, chill
dren should be away from the great
cities. The associated charities and
church associations Of like nature could
attend to the matter Of transportation
and decide what little ones were to
receive the benefits Of such an insti-
tuition. 1t would cost money, of
course, but there would not be so much
to spend during the winter and in later
years were the babies to be cared for
during some of the summer at such a
place
Such q movement is one that needs
little explanation and no apology. 1t is
surprising to me that Colorado long
ago did not realize her own wonderful
advantages for such an institution and
undertake its establishment. Not alone
in other states do babies pay with
their lives for The ignorance and neg
lact and poverty Of their parents. In
the last biennial period of our own
state Of Colorado 1900 babies died.
Ninety-five per cent of this number
died in the cities and IS per cent of
these died in the poorer districts of the
cities during the hot summer months.
Seemingly the lives Of the little ones
are the cheapest things in our modern
civilization. 1t is a sad commentary
that thousands, yes millions Of dollars
are expended annually for the conser-
\alion of our forests and other national
resources. while not one cent is spent
directly by the national government
for the conservation of babies