The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1920-07-01

JUST now the people tQluk most Oh tle
nls from which children suffer are the
result Of malnutrition. Nearly every
city now has its nutrition classes and
there is a national nutrition clinic as
ISOLATION.
Without unduly undertaking these
claims, J. Lawson Dick, of London.
SHES a castor into the ring. He claims
that most OF the Ills of children are due
to bad housing. He has written a small
book on defective housing and the
growth of children in which he argues
that living in ~insanitary houses causes
children to have tickets and this causes
them to stop growing or to grow
rookie
He says: 1.-The essential factor inter-
fering with the normal growth Of the
child is defective housing. A child that
has been born healthy begins to develop
defects when about six months of age.
During the period two to six years the
child stays rather closely in the house
and around home and he gets progress
lively worse.
I'm his earlier years at school he is
backward mentally n physically below
par. AS he gets a little older the hour
in a school room, which is more sanitary
han his home, and his hours Of play on
the street begin to overcome the bad
effects of his poor home. he improves
physically and he picks up in his school
work amazingly"
The signs of ricketts, by which he
judges are several. The teeth of chill
dren who AVE had ricketts, are Of poor
quality. The enamel Is honeyconrbed,
imperfect, and frequently ridged. The
teeth which are most often affected are
the central and lateral i~ncisors and the
first molars or jaw teeth. Decay is
early and rapid Sometimes the teeth
seem to ave down.
The ribs are beaded. Many are chick
en- breasted. In some h breast bone is
sunken. The chest is apt to become
lops:ded. The upper part of one chest
1attens a little and the lower part OF
the other chest bulges; one shoulder
goes up and q slight curvature of the
spine develops. In babies the head is
large, the soft spots large. the skin is
thin, and blue veins show on the fore
head and temples. In older children
the head appears to be rather massive.
1t bulges on the side over the ears. Ton
sis, adenoids, n glands are often
enlarged. Many Of the children are
anemic and suffer from persisting colds
Physicians have expended a" lot of en-
ergy in studying ricketts,. They were dis
posed to attribute it to bad feeding for
awhile. In New York city the health
department gives away cod liver oil to
the children of certain sections because
they think kckets can be prevented in
that way.
or course this practice is based on the
thought that poor nutrition is a consid-
cradle factor in the disease. However,
the more recent opinions are to the ef-
feet that bad housing. bad ventilation.
lack of sunlight and air, and uncleanly
surroundings are more important than
cod liver oil.
Many authorities hold with Dick that
poor housing is the most important fac
tor in ricketts,. II they a prove that
ricketts, is a widespread disease produce
ing great and lasting harm they make
Out a good case against a housing ana
Sums.
Says Dick in summarizing: 1t Is self
evident that the remedy is not to build
sanitaria but to demolish Sums.