South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-08-31
urnng Bread into Brains
BY GARRETT /. sERVIss.

\ man cannot add a cubit to his
stature by taking thought but
child can by taking food one of
the many valuable services rendered
by the admirable women's council
of national defense and its affiliated
organizations i'm various cities. ~
their crusade for saving a hundred
thousand chiIdren's lives this year.
has been TO emphasize and bring
out in vivid relief the tremendous
part played by simple under feeding
in the defects. diseases and deaths
OF children.
Fifty. yes. thirty Years ago. when
We as physicians or social reform
ers were confronted with the terrific
ally high infant mortality. not mere
ly of the slums and of the poor. bat
Of the unskilled working classes and
of the tenement house districts or
our industrial towns. We used 10
shake our heads and talk graVely
and discoura gingk about hereditary
defects and lack OF parental intelh-
eence and poor stock and the
sins of the fathers etc. Some OF a.
could be prevented. yes. but in Oil
yer Wendell Holmes classic phrase.
we should have TO begin with the
grandparents" it would be- a mat
ter of decades. of generations.
Now we know that two-thirds II
not three fourths Of all this slaugh
90.
der-feedine plus orer-crOWding and
unchecked children's diseases As
graphically illustrated by the fact
that while in the bad Old days the
infant mortality that is 10 say. the
number Of children born dying with
i'm their first year was from 10 20
20 per cent for 10 years past. IN idea
communities like New Zealand.
certain districts i'm Canada and sew
eral cities and states i'm our own
northwest the rate has been held
below five per cent and within the
last few wears in our great cities be
low 10 per cent.
And an This 90 TO - per cent re-
duction OF the child death rate with
q corresponding increase in stature
and strength without any change
whatever i'm heredity or in native in
teIIigence. except i'm the sense Of
broadening the latter BY better
health education Three-fourths.
yes uiue-tenths OF the physical and
mental differences between the vari-
Gus classes of society in any com
munity are due 10 the way in which
they have been fed and sanitated
when they We're young. Nine
times out Of ten the prince
and the pauper would grow up ex-
actly alike if they were fed at the
same table and slept under the same
roof
The cheering and consolng practi-
cal result is. that II we wish 20 i'm
prove the health and the physique
and lower the death rate OF the chill
areu OF the nation. all we need 70 do
is 20 see that they are well fed three
times day and allowed 10 play
themselves hungry again i'm between.
without wasting any time worrying
over the sins and mistakes OF the
past or their possible inheritance In
The present There are hereditary
defects. of course. and serious ones.
that richly deserve and repay study
and correction. but they are only
met with in about 10 per cent OF
our children
This mas been Nividly brought out
within recent years by series OF
studies by com petent experts ia child
nutrition. showing on the one hand
taat from l. TO 90 per cent OF the
children in our city public schools
are distinctly under-nourished and
under-fed. and. on the other hand
that so per cent OF these backward
and delicate and under-nourished
children can be restored 70 practi-
cauly full health and yisor and stat
ure bv liberal feeding and improved
hygiene conditions. And The trans
formation can be got well under way
inside Of three 10 six months some
uoOf little midgets actually starting
in 10 -row at nearly double the 15r-
mas cl average rate for their age .a
their 30 20 speak. physical eager
ress and readiness 90 catch % as
soon a. they are given decent,
chance
ONLY a few months ago taC 1u-
reaa % child hygiene of New work
.dN deciafed that from ~ 10 D. uer
cent Of tie children In the public
schools were seriously under 2, 4.
This came AS something Of SUI
uri>, % many. but 10 was on.- N
Eecp-E with most 81 the studies
Thar have been made N The nutrition