The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-10-21
FARM BABY NEEDS
Kansan Discusses Rural Infant
Problems at Convention.
Country Mothers Lack Advice
on Feeding Babies.

Milwaukee, Wis, Oct. 21.-The
problem of bottle feeding and feeding
the child after the first birthday pre-
sent the most serious difficulties in
rural infant feeding, DIR. Lydia A. De-
Vilbiss, head of the child hygiene de-
partment of the Kansas board of
health, told members of the American
association for the study and preven-
ton of infant mortality here today.
DR.. DeVilbiss spoke on the subject
Problems of the Rural Mother in In
FAINT Feeding" pointing out that the
problems concerned chiefly infant
food other than milk, milk and its
care, and table food after the first
year.
I'm the better rural communities the
problem of infant food is solved by
keeping one or two cows for the ex-
press purpose but in many other dis
tricts patent or ready prepared foods
are in great favor" DR.. DeVilbiss said.
THE comparative high price of these
foods, the alluring advertisements: the
lack of proper information as to their
relative lower food value as compared
to cows milk; the father and mother
love desiring the best for their baby,
together with the lack of facilities and
knowledge of the technique for feed
ing cows milk, are all factors in pro-
noting the use of patent and ready
prepared foods in rural districts.
Cooling Milk, Worst Problem.
THE lack of ice is perhaps the most
serious problem of bottle feeding in
the rural districts. The rural woman
keeps the milk in the spring, the cell
lar; sod house, or suspended in the well
and all of these methods are open to
the objection that they fail to keep tho
milk at sufficient low temperature.
In place of ice, cooling well, from
three to four feet across and from six
to eight feet deep, lined with brick or
cement, can be located just inside or
outside the kitchen foundation wall
and connected with the kitchen by
means of a dumb waiter. 1t serves
not only to keep the baby's milk safe
but it will care also for the entire per-
ishable food supply"
DIR. DeVilbiss added that the rural
mother lacks the opportunity for the
frequent consultation with public
health nurses, teachers, or physicians
in the clinics or infant welfare stations
which does so much toward simplify
ing the city mothers problems of in
FAINT feeding.
Buy Medicine Instead of Advice.
1.-The public has been educated to go
to the doctor and pay him for medi-
, cine and not for advice" Doctor De-
Vilbiss said, land also it takes time to
| teach a mother how properly to pre-
pare formulas and diets. Sometimes
! the country mother is too far away to
send for a physician Cor an apparent
ly trivial ailment and consequently
there is experimenting with home
remedies.
I'm some communities, too, particu-
larry among the foreign born peoples
a mistaken sense of thrift or ignor-
ance of our customs prevents the
sending for a doctor until the family
and the neighbors have done theil
best, or their worst as it may happen
and the child is near DEATH
Visiting Nurse a Great Help.
The visiting nurse is an invaluable
aid to mothers in rural communities
Miss Katherine Molmstead, supervis
ing nurse of the Wisconsin AntiTu
berculosis association. Milwaukee
said, in an address bearir G upon ru
raj communities and nursing and so
cial work before the association, a
the closing days session today
"She leaves in every home the med
icine of education. the one effectiv,
remedy for the ignorance that kills,
said the speaker.
Home problems of the rural wo
man were to be discussed by Miss Eliz
abeth Kelley of the University of Wis