The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-11-17


 committee in that county by the Alabama Tuberculosis association, of which have the honor of being seal sale chairman with Dr. Morris Newfieid as president
 Only the other day, pr. Newfield tells me, eight non-federated clubs in Mont gomery agreed to cooperate with the local association and the federated clubs there by appointing anti-tuberculosis committees of their own to assist in the seal sale One hundred and three clubs have already appointed their commit tees. among which are all the clubs in Montgomery, practically all those in Bir- mingham, Bessemer, Fairfield, Ensiey inglenook and Boyles; several in Mobile Selma, Andalusia. Dothan, Albany. De- catur, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and many other cities and towns in the state Every mail is bringing me additional names, and I really think that between now and the time of our meeting in Montgomery next week that practically every federated club in the state will have named it's committee and pledged them to real active participation in this work.
 The Alabama Tuberculosis assoeia tion is pledged tS use the seal sale money this year in effective work in Alabama. es- pecialiy in the creation of more working county associations, in the extension of the public health nursing service and in the one that has been so successful for several years in Mississippi
 Tt should be understood that only a small part of the seal sale fund goes to the state association, the most of it being used in the local work of the coun- ty in which it is raised.'' Mrs Pearce said Another thing the state association wishes to do this year is to extend the .Rr.ra Ia .- -s additional rural and city schools during 1921. I wish that the mothers and the parent-teachers' associations of the state were familiar with the wonderful work that the state association is doing in tac schools, under the direction of Miss Flera McWhorter. the state crusade director. Miss McWhorter is constantly visiting the various counties of the state intro ducing the crusade into the schools. in- structing the teachers as to the methods of handling it and the results to be at tained, and in this way teaching the boys and girls of Alabama health habits which will be of inestimable value to them in the years to come.
 We mothers know that instruction without application is fruitless, and that is the strong point in the modern health crusade. Not only are the boys and girls taught the principles of health. but they are encouraged to put their health habits into practice in their dai;3' lives. Cleaning their teeth becomes game, and all the other b health chores are made agreeable and attractive by the spirit of play and of rivalry which enters into the work. Awards are given to every boy or girl who does these things regu- larly for certain number of weeks. and in addition the rural school in each coun- ty Which has. the largest number Of
 health crusaders will be awarded a beautiful pennant in the spring.
 "The menace of tuberculosis extends to every home in our state. And yet phy- sicians tell us it is a preventable disease which can almost always be cured if dis covered in time. We hope to so eoucate the. people of our state regarding this dis ease that more and more cases will be discovered during the early stages. and thus in time for treatment and cure.
 The crime of allowing children--yes, even babies to become infected with this disease through contact, direct or indirect, with tubercular people should be stopped, and educational work along this line we intend to carry on through our schools, parent-teachers' associations and the pub lie health nursing service. I was glad to see the editorial stand taken by The Age-Herald Monday for an extended pub lie health nursing service. While it will probably be impossible for the state as- socation to find sufficient number of trained public health nurses to put one in each county in the state next year, the state association does intend to put such nurse in each county that raises sufficient amount to pay the sniart and expenses of this nurse. While 1t has been very difficult to obtain the nec- essary number of nurses trained in this work to fill the vacancies that already exist the situation is now easing up some what, and we are now encouraged to be- leve that we shall be able to secure quite a number for service in Alabama during the next year. The Alabama fed- eration is doing what 1t can through It's scholarship for this purpose to increase the number of available public health nurses in Che state. We are very anxious to get in touch with good nurses who have ability and personality and who want special tuberculosis training. Co take advantage of this scholarship each year. Surely there Is no work in which nurse could enga se where she could render larger service to Humanity or do moro for her community than as trained pub- lie health nurse whose work is largely preventive, Gnd with such schools and homes As otherwise might never have any instruction whatever in sanitation and health.
 "Especially in those homes which have, or have had, tuberculosis in them Is par- ticuiar care necessary in order to avoid infection of the other members of the family. and the instruction given by the public health nurse in such cases, many. many times means the saving of other lives in these homes In addition the nurse Is enabled to discover iuclplent