The Wisconsin weekly blade. [volume] (Madison, Wis.) 1916-1925, 1918-04-11
CHILD WELFARE
(From u. S. Department of Labor.
Chlldren's Bureau, Washington

Chlldren's Bureau, Washington.)
In cooperation with the Woman's
Committee of the Council of National
Defense, and therefore with the
principal woman's organizations of
the country. the Children's Bureau
Is preparing plans for child lceifare
campaign for the second gear of the
'cdr The first aim of the campaign
will be to secure the Public Protec-
ton of Maternity and Infancy.
Public health authorities agree that
one-half the deaths of infants are
easily preventabe, and that if child
rem were well born and well cared
for there would be practically no
deaths of babies. Three hundred
thousand American children under :
die each year. Authorities also tell
us that most of the fifteen thousand
mothers who died last year died need
lessly.
1t is the plan of the Chidrens
Bureau to save a certain definite pro-
portion of these lives. 1t is believed
that one hundred thousand lives can
be saved this year notwithstanding
the withdrawal of large proportion
of doctors and nurses for war service.
| The State councils of defense and
the State women's committees are
called upon to be responsible for the
State quotas The actual methods
by which those lives are to be saved
are those whose effectiveness in saw
ing chldren's lives is already demon
strated. They are described at length
IN various pamphlets which have
been prepared by the Children's
Bureau.
Brletly the methods are as follows:
Frst: The registration of births
so that there may he an immediate
record of every child born; and nurs-
ing and medical skill may be pro
vided wherever family income does
not permit its being secured in
dependently.
Second: For every mother prenatal
care, necessary care, Of doctor and
public nurse at confinement, and
after care.
Third: Children's conference where
well babies can be taken periodically
to be weighed and examined. and
clinics where sick children may be
given medica. service
Fourth: The organization of State
and city divisions or bureaus of child
hygiene.
ram: The guarding of the milk
supply, that every child may have his
quota OF clean, pure milk.
Sirth: An income making possible
decent living standards.
In 1916 and in 1917 a nationwide
baby week was held under the au-
| spices of the General Federation of
Women's Clubs and the Children's
| Bureau which has resulted in awak-
enlng a new sense of civic rcsponsib-
| llity for infant life in thousands of
localities, and has secured many new
activities such as nursing services,
clinics, chidrcn's conferences, better
milk and food supplies, better en-
| forcement Of birth registration laws.
In many communities the Baby
| Week celebrations have cost large
sums, in others the Baby Week has
proved an exceedingly effective
means Of awakening permanent in
| terest at little or no expense
Valuable as Baby Week is, how
ever, the present emergency demands
longer and more comprehensive
program. After the Nations sol
| diers are provided for, the second
year of the war should be dedicated
| by the civilian population to preserve
the life of the Nations children. Is
there any greater patriotic duty for
| the civilian population than to safe
guard the welfare of the Nations
children?
Hence this year the plan is simpler
and yet more farreaching than ever
hpfcrn II ghattiI ho far nfT,
| i've because through the women's
committees, not only the General
| Federation Of Clubs but all the great
womcn's organizations of the country
will lend their cooperation.
Economy in unnecessary cxpend-
itures so as to save for essentials
should characterize all work this
year.
1t is known that the examinations
Of the draft have resulted in a CON
siderable number of reflections for
physical defects which might have
been remedied in infancy or early
childhood if then recognized. Weight
and height constitute on the whole a
fair standard Of development; how
do the young children Of the United
States measure up to such stand
ard?
As test OF child welfare, to in
augurate the Children's Year which
begins on April 6, the anniversary of
the declaration of war by the Urited
States, a nationwide weighing and
measuring of babies and children Of
preschool age is proposed. No gen
eral test of children of pre-school
age has ever been made, and an
examination of such children with
special reference to weight and
height is now proposed as the prim-
airy feature of the war time Child