Milford chronicle., 1920-12-10

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dren's Twentieth Century, and whil
we as American people are too mucl
engaged in the humdrum and worka
day life, we must not fail to become
awakened to the fact that the healtl
of our children is the one and all i'm
portant thing. Our great trouble ha.
been that we have waited for some.
thing to happen before taking the
necessary steps of precaution or rem.
edy. We have relied too much Oh
drugs, prescriptions, operations anC
the surgeons and have not given SUI
ticient of our time and attention to the
needs and the welfare of the child
Even as little a State as Delaware
can turn out 100 per cent good citi-
zens. He, referred to the condition of
the men taken in the draft, showing
that 20 per cent of the men had to be
pushed back. He also referred to the
safeguarding of the lives of the peo-
pie against fire, against impure and
exposed foods, drinking water, ETC.,
all being put into effect only after
some great calamity had visited the
communities in which such conditions
existed.
Mrs. Ina j. Perkins, director of
Child Welfare, made report of the
work done during the year. showing
good progress. She stated that in the
legislation to be asked for. one i'm
portant thing would be request for a
travelling health centre for those
towns sparsely settled, where a per-
manent health centre could not be
maintained She also told of the
amount of appropriation needed to
flghtly carry on this work. 100000
showing that the appropriation of s25-
GOO made two years ago had been
wholly inadequate. Had it not been
for the subscription from private
sources tOtaling the amount expended
over 100000. it would have been i'm
possible to carry on the work salts
factorily.
Miss Marie T. Lockwood. superyis-
or OF nurses, reported her work for
the year, prefacing her report with
the statement that various phases of
Child Welfare have been part of Del
aware's business for many years. no.
tably care of dependent and delin-
quent; societies for prevention OF
cruelty; homes for dependent. and re-
FORM schools for the delinquent. In
other words. aside from schools and
education, the mentally and morally
sub-normal child had received the
hrst consideration of large numbers
of interested citizens. Even before
the World War there were certain
foresighted Delaware people who be-
lleVed the normal child should be say
ed from becoming physical or moral
charge on society. and who were
working slowly to the end of keep
ing them normal. However, it took the
war to accomplish the desired end, /
which was to procure public health |
nurses, establish health centres, and /
enlist the cooperation of physicians
TO carry on health education. Thru 1
the weighing and measuring of chill /
1ren, Delaware awoke to the wastage /
Of youthful human bodies that was GO
ing on its borders. The death rate of |
infants, both city and rural, was dis /
grace to civilization. The prime OBJ |
ject in conducting the Health Cen |
Tres, she said, has been to accentuate .
health and its maintenance bv keen
ng well children well through peri 1
Odical weighing, measuring and ad-
Using on hygiene, sanitation and |
proper food. Hundreds of children
nave received the benefits that the
State has made possible through
Health Centres.
Miss Lockwood submitted some fig
Tres to indicate the extent of the work
n six months: Total number of Will
nington cases, 2074S; rural cases, 81
iS3; total, 24,431; home visits made
" Wilmington nurses, 12,080; rural
lurses. 1918; centre visits made by
centres, 8,668; rural CEN
res, 1910; 755 school children were
by rural nurses, in addition
o the home and center visits.
DR.. Chester H. Wells, special Board
t Health commissioner, addressed the
briefly on the great value
medical examination in the schools.
Evening Session
The night session was held in Dov- l
r Century Club rooms, on Dover I
reen, and was well attended. Char {
8 F. Ernest, General director, led the |
udience in community singing. Mrs. !
aird, State chairman of the Recon- /
ruction Commission, presided.
Chester II. Wells, gave an outline a
some of the work done by the State G
oard of health, also pointing out the a
,nditions from health standpoint a
J they exist in Delaware today, f
hich showed lack of the full OBJ Il
rvance of the health laws and the s
ilure in some localities to enforce D
e same. He stated that much could e
done in the way Of having a clean C
II of health in all the towns and D
in the State, IL more a,
oney was available for combating n
sease. ftc
Prof. John Shilling spoke on behalf IL
the State Board of Education as to
ucational affairs. Some things need ii