The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1920-04-08
Nurses Hold State Conference


bly, chamber of the State Capitol al
Madison on March 80, 81 and April
There were about one hundred nurses
present from all parts of the state
There are at present only twenty-six
county. nurses in the state, but the
number was made up of school, city
community and industrial nurses, AS
there are seventy-one counties in the
state the demand for county nurses is
great, and people from different coun-
ties were at the meeting trying to get
their counties supplied.
The address of welcome was given
by Governor Philippa and oher speak
ers of note were, G. A. Harper, state
health officer, who spoke on" COM
municable Diseases Among Children
and the Nurses Duties" DR.. George
E. Baxter of Chicago who spoke on
Nutrition of Children" DR.. w. F.
Lorenz of Mendoza, who discussed
Mental Hygiene" The Same subject
was also discussed by DR.. Elizabeth L.
Woods. Miss Minnie Ahrens of the
central division of the American Red
Cross, of Chicago, spoke about the
"Plans Of the American Red Cross
Relative to Public Health Activities. .
Mr. E. A. Everett OF the state board
of control, discussed "State Institul
tions," and DR.. I. F. Thompson of the
state board of health presented child
hygiene film and a venereal disease
film and talk.
The meetings which were presided
over by Mrs. Henry H. Morgan, who is
the director of public health nursing
of the state, and Miss Nellie Van Kooy,
state supervising nurse, were inspira-
tional and those present could not help
but feel that he public health nursing
service as organized in the state of
Wisconsin, will be extremely valuable.
DR.. v. v. Anderson of New York City,
who had recently come into the state
to take charge of the work of the
state committee on mental hygiene,
said that this nursing servcei is as
great in its possibilities as it is unique
and is being watched aadI commented
upon with much interest by all pars
of the country.
On Friday, April End, state examin-
ations we're given by the state board
of health for the certification of pub
lie nurses as provided by law. Miss
Thompson. Bayfield, qssrty Nurse. was
present at THIS conference and also
took the state examination.
Following the report of Deputy
Health officer. Miss Downs, in regard
to physical defects and under weights
found among the city school children,
some extracts from an address given
by DR.. George e. Baxter, of Chicago,
before the State Conference of Public
Health nurses at Madison last week.
DR.. Baxter spoke on Nutrition of
Children This subject is attracting
attention all over the country and is
not merely local fad 1t is the hope
Of the people who are particularly in
terested III this work that all school
boards may see fit Ia add a scale to the
equipment of every school in the
county in the near future so that a.
systematic record may be kept of the
physical development of our children.
One weighing only serves to show
the need for "follow-up" work and we
all agree that merely finding the con-
dition, and not the cure, is not of much
value. Washburn city schools are
fortunate in that they have very
good scale.
DR.. Baxter says: "It is not merely
the question Of food that has to do
with NAL nutrition sof children. II
that was al, the children from we'll
to-dO homes would not be under
nourised or under weight, provided
some judgment is used in feeding
If child who has proper. amount
of proper food does not develop as it
should, it is safe to assume that some
thing is radically wrong. A thorough
physical examination should be Agiven
by a doctor for detection Of symptoms
indicating acute diseases, chronic
diseases such as tuberculosis and in-
herited diseased, heart disease, in
fected or enlarged tonsils and ade-
noids, or other distinctions of nasal
breathing, decayed teeth, disorder of
the nervous system, and last but not
least, careful study Of the eyes, to de-
term.iHe diseases of he yey, as well as
errors in refraction. The latter in
cluded nearsightedness, farsighted-
ness and the condition known as cross
eye.
If the child after such an examina-
ton appears to have no physical de-
fects, watch it's habits. What kind of
food does it eat, and does it have a
balanced ration, or does it .'fill up" on
lone kind of food? Does it want to,
eat all the time and does it lunch to
such an extent between meals that it