The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-08-15
DIET FOR CHILDREN
Ry sEALE HARRIS, M. D.

A biblical expression might be para phrased to read: What doth 1t profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own child" The writer recalls two lovely young women, daughters of a ''self-made" millionaire, who developed tuberculosis because they had been in- dulged and had never been taught how to live. Surrounded with every luxury, their capricious appetites had not called for wholesome food, and since they were poorly nourished, they were easy victims to the ravages of tuberculosis. Had more of this fathers time been given to his home, and to his children, he might have been spared the grief of the death of his eldest born, and the years of separation from the sec ond daughter, in the effort to cure her of preventable disease Every physi- elan knows of many instances where the ignorance and carelessness of parents regarding the training of their children has been followed by results that are tragical.
 The writer was requested by several
 
 in one of this series of articles, and as he began preparing, the above thoughts were suggested. It is disagreeable to point out the frailties and shortcom- ngs of men and women, but we must know facts if we would remedy them. The death rate of children under years has been reduced 50 per cent in 
 has been due to the awakening of the public conscience as to the need for improving conditions among the poor and to the education of all classes re- garding the feeding of children; but in our largest city there are still thou sands of children who die every year because of the ignorance of their parents
 The subject of feeding babies could be better discussed by some of the spe- cialists on diseases of children or some of the general practitioners of Bir- mingham who have rendered splendid educational service to this community in the Better Babies" campaign and at other times. The writer, however, will venture the advice that for the children under one year, mothers milk is the ideal form of nourishment The bottle-fed baby has only one-half the chance to live as the child under one year whose nourishment comes from a healthy mother.
 Since the women have not been edu- cated regarding the practical and scien- tifc methods of feeding infants, and physicians, particularly the specialists lin diseases of children, have had this training, the writer would advise parents to have their physicians to pre- scribe diet for their children at least up to the age of two years. This is particularly important during the sum- mer months. It is a great deal easier, and much less expensive, to prevent dis eases of children by having the physi- clan direct the diet from week to week than it is to cure them after colitis or other form of disease has developed that is usually due to improper feed i ing.
 l Next to mothers milk, for the in- l fant, cows milk is the best form of Inourishment and it should be an i'm portant part of the child's diet at least I to the age of dolescence-assuming i that the milk is properly cared for. | Milk obtained from an insanitary dairy | is one of the greatest causes of summer l diarrhoeas, typhoid fever and many | other diseases. It is the duty of every l father and mother in Birmingham or anywhere else to know positively that they are getting pure milk for their 1 families.
 Call up the milk inspector, the city health department, Main S772, and in quire about the sanitary rating of your milk man. If. Dr. Duncan says that your dairyman is not caring for his l milk properly, get it from some one I else who does use sanitary methods in handling milk; and be sure to tell your milk man why you stopped buying milk from him. If dairymen can be shown that they are losing money by keeping iinsanitary dairies they will soon clean up and follow the rules of the city ihealth department which are not 2 hardship on any one but are made for the protection of the public. I The writer started out to say some l thing on the diet of children and finds that he has preached a sermon regard | ipg the ignorapce of mothers and fath- 1 CTS. and the Ifeeds for educating girls land boys in diet, nutrition and personal < hygiene; without giving any specific iinformation for the mothers who sug- gested the subject. Instead of discuss ling "diet after forty as had been promised for Sundays Age-Herald, he will have to postpone the discussion of that subject for week. and next Sum day will make some suggestions re-
 77 ~ding the diet for children