Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-07-22
IS NOTIFIED AMID GREAT ACCL AIM
Woman Doctor Sent By Surgeon
General To Help Georgia Babies
Public Health Service
Co-Operates to Lower
Death Rate

ATLANTA, July 22-"When
Chambers of Commerce pay more at
tention to the baby death rate than
to the number of smoke stacks, they
will have much better claim to at
tract people to their cities"
So says the first woman ever as
signed by the United States Public
Health Service to child hygiene. She
is DR.. Lydia Allen DeVilbiss, assign
ed by Surgeon General Cumming to
help State Health Officer DIR. T. F.
Abercrombie save the hundreds of
children who needlessly die in this
state.
Georgia is a pioneer in the south
in cooperating with the United States
Public Health Service in child hygi-
enc. Although its figures on births
and deaths are still incomplete, the
statistics which were collected for the
first three months of this year show
ed about one baby in every eight
born dies before it is one year old.
Thorough Cooperation
Numerous Baby Health Centers
have been established throughout the
state. During the summer months
drive is being made to teach moth
ers how to feed their children and so
avoid the usual summer ailments.
In the fall nutrition clinics and phys
ical inspection of school children will
be held. Further work will be to get
IN touch with prospective mothers,
In these and other ways DR.. Aber-
crombie expects to prevent the loss of
hundreds of Georgia babies.
The doctors of the state are CO.
operating. The Pediatric Society has
appointed committee of three, DR..
A. j. Waring, Savannah; DR.. W. L.
Funkhouser, Atlanta; and DR.. W. A.
Mulherin, Augusta, to assist DR.. De-
Vilbiss and the state board of health.
The baby specialists of the state are
giving their services free in the Baby
Health Centers.
The women's organizations of
Georgia are making child welfare and
child hygiene their principal program
for the year. A Georgia Baby Book
is to be sent to every new mother
within twenty four hours after the
baby comes. This will tell her how to
feed and take care of her baby.
We are sure of some good results"
said DR.. DeVilbiss. "But we could do
much more effective work if we had
larger appropriations. Good health
and the preservation of life can be
a certainty in proportion to the
amount of money wisely spent in car
rying out public health work"
so Cents Year
"Only so cents a year per person
would provide abundant funds for
health protection. This amount of
money spent wisely would prevent
virtually all of the communicable dis
eases and would keep practically the
entire population in good health. This
is only fraction of the amount now
spent for doctor bills.
The United States is cited as the
only first class power that does not
have national department of health
with cabinet officer.
DR.. DeVilbiss was formerly conpec-
ted with the New York State Depart
ment of Health and the director of
child hygiene for the state of Kan
sas. She says she hopes many other
women physicians soon will join in
the work for child hygiene in con-
nection with the United States Pub
lie Health Service and the state and
city departments of health.
The United States Public Health
Service field Investigations in Child
Hygiene are under direction of As
sistant Surgeon General Taliaferro
Clark. I, !