The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-04-22
Many Children Die of Pre-
ventable Causes.

"'Of the 300, 600 deaths of children
every year, half were absolutely un-
necessary is preventable. The
causes of these deaths were many.
There was the ignorance Of mothers.
There was the unhealthy food, the i'm
pure milk, the unnecessary exposure to
the heat of summer. There was the
dosing with patent medicines. There
was the exposure ID the cold. There
was under-nutrition. Against all these
an encouraging fight has been made.
Many books have been written for
mothers. Pure milk stations have
been opened in the cities City boards
OF Child-Hygiene have been established.
priated S168, coo for child-hygiene and
spent $235, 600 on a Children's s Court
Building.) The schools have tried to
reach the parents through the children.
Physicians have devoted much more
time and attention to the preserving of
the health of children than they used
to do. Literary Digest. March 25.
Government experiment stations are
located in various places all over the
land to determine the conditions under
which the various crops may be grown
to the best advantage. Agricultural
Colleges are reaching an advanced
learned about producing the most Wig
orous and healthful stock of all kinds
for the farm.
Millions are being. expended along
these lines each year for the financial
welfare of the country
Great care and attention has for
many years been given these things,
and great progress has been made. We
have better wheat, better service, cat
tie and horses The enormous increase
of the wealth of the nation is largely
due to these things.
The real reason for which we have
worked so zealously to improve these
things has not been for ourselves so
much as for our children. Every IA
ther and mother knows this.
While we have learned all these
things about plants and animals what
have we learned about caring for our
babies? And our boys, and girls?
Can you imagine an army of 150, 900
little children? Can you conceive of
the vast amount of suffering and sor-
row that their death would cause?
That is a conservative estimate of the
sacrifice we make each year because
we use less intelligence and give less
growing of children than we do to
plants and animals.
When we say that $50, 600 babies die
of preVentable disease, we mean this
amount of sorrow Is due. directly, to
apathy and carelessness.
We can estimate the amount OF sick
ness and death IN infancy and childhood,
due to ignorance and thoughtlessness
of parents, but we cannot estimate the
amount of sickness and death in early
or middle adult life, due to the same
cause.
An inestimable amount Of disease of
every nature originates in infancy and
childhood. Think of the hundreds of
falls babies and children have. Think
also of how little knowledge the aver
age father or mother has as to what
food is proper Coffee, tea, meat, po-
tatoes, given readily to baby because
he wants IT. Thus by satisfying ba-
by's whim overWorking the immature
digestive tract, in attempting to digest
the food of a laborIng man; to such an
extent that conditions are produced
which later develop into Chronic indi-
gestion, constipation, or appendicitis.
All physicians, who follow the trend
of the times, realize that the only real
way TO combat disease IS to prevent it,
and the only way to prevent 1t Is to re
move abnormal conditions in children,
which later, perhaps not until they are
grown, develop into disease.
Osteopathy has been the vanguard IN
advocating the prevention of III health
by having children properly cared for
and discovering abnormal conditions in
children which would later cause much
suffering; perhaps early death.
Close attention should be given to
many little troubles in children which
are too aften thought trinial but which
later become grave.
Osteopathic physicians are giving
special attention to children because
thev realize therein lies the great field
of prevention of disease and death.
DR.. T. H. Clover.