The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1916-06-03
HEART DISEASE
A CHILD MENACE
New Problem Presented TO
Those Who Preserve Health.
TUBERCULOSIS DECREASING.

Another Enemy creeps Up Behind as
Great Battle is Being Won-Heart
Trouble Leaves Child Handicapped
For Life--Home Care Better Than
Hospitals For Such Cases. 4
With heart disease spreading as
berculosis is being curbcd physical
ana social workers are planning
ventiye work among children 10 - Ne
with the rising death rate An article
on this menace and what experimental
work has shown 60 be desirable to-
ward curbng II as prepared for the
Survey an organization whose pur-
pose is 20 investigate the facts of lly-
ing and working conditions and 10 sug-
gest means for social advance, is as
follows: -
Apparently while we have been fight.
ing one enemy face 10 face another
has stolen upon us from behind New
York has reduced her deaths from tu-
bercuosis from 42l per hundred thou,
sand in 1870 TO 100 I'm 1914, but duhng
the same time her deaths from heart
disease have increased from "a TO 160.
Repeated In Other Cities.
The experience OF New York IS re
peated in other cities. In Worcester,
Mass. no less than 21.5 per cent OF all
deaths in the industrial population are
caused by organic heart disease; 15.2
per cent IL the proportion for the whole
population OF that city.
The situation, or rather, the realiza-
ton. has come upon us suddenly. and
we are not equipped TO deal with heart
disease as we are with tuberculosis.
Yet IL is clear that we shall have 10
cope with IL and devote to IL the same
study and the same persistent effort
10 get at underlying causes as we
have given TO tuberculosis ever since
the eighties.
Several articles recently written for
medical journals show how similar are
the methods needed for the prevention
and cure Of heart disease to those we
are familiar with the case OF tuber-
culosis In both IL Is in childhood that
preventive work IS most needed; I'm
both the symptoms are slight and Ia
tent. and the treatment must be pro-
longcd and persisted in after all signs
OF real trouble have disappeared Both
depend greatly upon environment for
cure. and I'm both home care is begin
ming to take the place Of institutional
Care.
Leave Child Handicapped.
Both leave the child handicapped and
needing vocational training In some oc-
cupation which will not make too great
demands ou his strength
The Massachusetts General hospital.
Boston has been making an interest.
Ing experiment in the home care OF
children with heart disease and with
diseases which threaten the heart.
such as Chorca anu rheumatism. At
first these children were kept I'm the
hospital for weeks and even months.
bat the results were disCOuraging
When they went home not only i'm.
proved, but usually looking In the best
Of health, il was impossible TO make
the parents believe that the greatest
care was still necessary. So relapses
came, and the children returned 10 the
clinic sometimes In a worse condition
than before
The physicians realized that heart
disease Is social disease ana must be
treated socially The child and his
family must bc educated. his environ
ment must be altered and adapted TO
his limitations. and he must be kept
under supervision for n long period.
not merely until he has recovered from
the acute symptoms"
Home Care Best.
So In 1911 "A social worker was Sc
cured to supervise the home treatment
OF these children. The results have
been so gratifying that home care has
been substituted for hospital care for
all but the acutely sick.
There Is not nearly so much danger
OF relapse IL the child has been I'm his
own home from the beginning and his
parents have had the care OF him dur.
ing his sickness aud have gone through
the long. tedious process OF nursing
him back To health. There IS no need
then Of rcadjustlng him TO his old owl
and there Is much less dR
HNhll1 III dhJHNiuA Nht 'hNIpuintHl
TO him when he Is really Ill than when
he comes apparently well. When the
home q manifestly unfit, boarding the
child out ia another family has been
found better than sending him 60 an
The hospital chose visiting teacher
rather than a nurse, for. though there
are few medical facts which she
must be able 10 note, they are easily
learned and most Of her duties are
She must he able so 20
arrange the home care OF the chlld
that he will have rest and quiet andt
yet be happily occupied. and later on
she must be able 10 plan his return 70
school or his entrance into industry
In such way that II viii not overtax
his strength.