Evening star., 1918-05-19
milk VITAL PART
OF INFANTS DIET
Demonstration in Connection
With Weighing and Meas
uring Of Children.
NEED. OF BABES UNDER 2

Tho fact that milk is vitality
necessary element in the diet of
child under two years of age is being
demonstrated in connection with the
Weighing and measuring Of the be bies
Of the District of Columbia.
Those in charge of the gathering
Of statistics at Neighborhood House,
In Southwest Washington, one of the
centers maintained in connection
with the local campaign, have been
noticing particularly that where par
ents have stopped feeding young
children milk. as a number OF them
have done when the babies reached
eighteen months. the proportionate
weight has at once become sub
normal. Those who have been kept
on a partial milk diet. say the statis-
ticians. show up splendidly- Many
parents have substituted some other
article of food for milk because OF
the high price of that commodity,
but no economy. it would seem. is
likely to prove more expensive to a
family in the long run.
Step in Nationwide Campaign.
This weighing and measuring.
which is in progress at score or
more centers throughout the District,
is the first step in the nation wide
"Children's year campaign. designed
to save at least a third of the 100000
babies who die unnecessarily each
year in the United States. The
weighing and measuring of as many
youngsters as possible under SIX
years of age is to establish standard
from which variations may easily be
noted and the trouble leading thereto
corrected.
During the ensuing week the local
committee in charge, of which Mrs.
Whitman Cross is chairman and Mrs.
E. X. Bushee, secretary. is to furnish
Washington physicians with large
numbers of the weighing and measur-
ing cards. SO they can conveniently
tabulate the children of their own
patients and send in the results to
the headquarters bureau, 1888 G street
northwest, while cards keep coming
into the bureau from individual par
ents. So far 6,80S children have been |
reg:stered for the purpose, while up
until yesterday more than 1000 have ,
been placed on the scales and sub |
mitted to the tapeline.
On the return to the city in a few |
days of Mrs. Harriet Blaine Beale, |
chairman. a meeting of the committee |
on home care will lie held for the pur- |
pose of arranging plans for looking |
ffter the children who have been ex- !
lmined and found to be subnormal
To Display illustrated Posters.
In the present week illustrated |
descriptive posters will be displayed i
BY business houses. theaters. etc. !
while slides and instructive reels will |
be shown at moving picture houses. |
including pictures of some of the |
Cabinet children being weighed and |
measured.
There will be a meeting Of the |
campaign committee at headquarters, !
1888 G street northwest, at pm,
Tuesday, at which DR.. Woodward, |
District health officer. will make a |
report.
Peggy Baker. youngest daughter of |
the Secretary of War. has been weigh |
ed in the balance. but, unlike |
Be1shazzar. has not been found want |
ing" One Washington mother, al
though visiting with her baby in
Georgia. could not wait until her re-
turn. SO interested was she in the
movement. and she sent by letter |
details of bodily conditions to DR.. |
Anna Ada Thomas in charge Of the |
center nearest her residence.