The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-03-05

deficiency. g ftht
The startling facts of the war have
awakened the whole nation to the i'm
perative need for organized effort to
| raise the health standards Of the
American people. There is only one
place to begin--with the children. 1t
is only too true that "the child is ia
Their to the man." and only by secur-
ing and maintaining strong health
foundation in youth can person ex-
pect to enjoy real physical and mental
| efficiency in maturity. WI
One out of every three men called
to war was physically unfit to serve.
Even those accepted had to be given
long and extensive training to get
them in shape to bear arms.
There are about twenty-five million
school children in the U. S. Over half
of them have preventable defects or
ailments. About four or five million
of these children are so badly below
standard that they constitute class
called "malnourished". This serious
condition demands immediate medical
or nutritional attention.
Realizing these conditions, the Unit
cd States Public Health Department
and our State Home Demonstration
Leaders formulated plans whereby we
could work together in an effort,
which is also sweeping other States,
to make every American child physi-
cally fit.
Our plan is to carry on the work of
weighing and measuring and nutri-
ton clinics in as many schools as we
can handle, once each month until the
schools are closed. We have just
completed the first school on the list,
the North Ward in Pennington. The
results here correspond with the re-
suits among other school children of
the country, and among the soldiers.
A total of about $50 children were
weighed and measured Only about
half that number, eighty-four, report
ed for examination. Of the eighty
four examined, fifty-seven were be-
low standard, many very seriously so,
and only twenty-seven were up to nor
NAL weight. This same proportion
would doubtless hold true for those
who were not examined. More COM
plete figures will be given later.
| feel that many did not take ad-
vantage of this work because they
did not understand the object and
method Of the work. 1t is all very
simple. In the weighing and measur-
ing, only coats, sweaters, and shoes
are removed. No clothing is removed
for the physical examination. For the
diet work, | discuss the individual
God poadr of ooob oh;1J ut;+b +ba child
and parents. The child is not given
a complicated examination or subject
ed to any unpleasantness. 1t is not an
attempt to take away from parents
the right to decide for themselves,
what shall be done for their children,
and yet we must remember that none
of us live wholly unto ourselves. There
never was proposition requiring
more cooperation than this one of
health. Individual, family, and COM
munity are all responsible. The main
idea of this school work is based on
the fact that certain defects handicap
the child seriously in his life, to say
the least; and that the majority of pa
rents are grateful when told of such
handicaps. Il.
DR.. DeVilbiss, one of the leading
Child Hygiene experts of the u. S.,
assisted with our first Nutrition Gin
ic. At the following clinics the local
physicians gave the examinations. The
services of these men, so kindly given,
cannot be too highly appreciated by
the parents and people of the commun-
ity. Likewise, Mrs. Bleeck and hes
committee of women deserve world
of credit for the interest and pains
taking care with which they are doing
the weighing and measuring.
Are you going to see that your
child takes advantage of the Nutri-
ton Clinic? 1t is no disgrace if he
is found to have bad teeth, diseased
tonsils, or some other defect, or is not
getting the right food. The disgrace
comes in refusing to recognize these
facts and in not doing all in your pow
err to make that child as nearly 100
per cent physically fit as possible. 80
OLIVIA E. PEUGH,
A