Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-11-14
PREVENTION OF
INFANT DEATHS
Is DISCUSSED
Closing Session OF Association Hears Ad-
dress IL Which Physician Declares that
Housing Conditions Must be Greatly
Improved.

Boston. Nov. l4.-Summing up the re-
q%uircmcnt- Tor the reduction 81 infant
mortality. through community effort. DR..
David Sncddin ~ the Massachusetts Com
mission 1T Education. III In address III
the closing session III the fifth annual
meeting Nh the American Association for
Study and Prevention of Infant Mortality
here today said: 'IlOusing conditions
must be- improved. the scientific equipment
Of physicians and nurses further dcvel-
oped, food inspection extended and made
more effective. the economic conditions 1T
actual and prospective mothers made more
tolerable. and the responsibilities Of both
father and mother in the formation of the
family increased.
1T may be. indeed. that IN addition new
methods of supervision and support must
he developed. If the advocates of public
action in the direction of euscnics have
their way, the physical. moral and g
monte capaciie~ of those who in the fu-
ture form families will be- scrutinizcd. and
made to meet al least minimum standard.
The provision IT widows pensions may IT,
q foreta~tc ~ the extension If r,ublic aid
10 nece-ltou~ actual and prospective moth
err. whether these ~ widows w not
America may yet follow the example "
European countries in tho public pruvi-
zion ~ improved housing. Municipal ac-
~tivities may extend, yet, To the provision
"A free milk and Ice. ~ They now extend
- the provision ~ free medical and phar-
maceutical service.
THE vocational school III h~omcmakinr
! even now a reality IN Massachusetts. AT
the present, such i, the strength II ira
dition. even these schools are making hut
slight connection with the homes from
which their pupils come. Eventually they
must make these home, their laboratories.
There !, NO reason why "A first cla>S voca
iional homemaking school for girls should
not be conducted on what J. sometime,
called the part time ba~i--that j.. thc a.
>embllng Of a cla>- of pupils periodically
Tor certain forms Of instruction. and then
their return ~ their homes a. Laboratories
wherein the instructions given can ~ ear
rlcd INTO practice. Thi- homcmakin- will
surely not consider effective oversight vi
the health and well being ~ children. large
or small. a negligible feature of ~ work.
we may also expect that with the dc-
velopmcnt "a medical inspection n- u Nee
e>>ary feature ~ school administration.
me school nurse will appear a. \ ncce~~arv
factor. The services " the school nurse
a. a home visitor during the hot summer
vacation season have already been de-
mon>trated IN a few communities in The
United State>. and there are large posi-
bilIties IN this direction that should not b.
overlooked.
Teachers and school administrator.
are. after al. servants Of the public. and
should be guided largely by the more in
~telligent demands Of that public. We are
not now hamPcred by any limited concop-
tons a to the fields 81 public education.
IL = generally agreed that public educa-
tion may b. made to include an necessary
forms Of education which ether eduea-
tional agencies, such a. the home. THE
church and thc shop, 40 not effectively
perform