The New York herald., 1921-05-08


4 have been the centre of interest
among club women, the Department OF
Health and the Board of Education, the
cause being an experiment in proper feed
ing which was carried on by the North
western Women's Club, beginning January
H. The experiment was brought to a close
last week and whether or not it has been
success win be decided within the next few
days, when fifty children from each of the
schools will hop on the scales for their final
weighing.
The test. which has created considerable
interest not only in Detroit but other cities,
started when the club women found that
in many of the poorer districts mothers were
feeding their children extremely i'll chosen
food and the experiment was decided upon
10 prove proper food for children means
proper development.
Acting with the school board and the
Northwestern Women's Cluo, the Board of
Health assigned group of physicians TO
visit the two schools and from visual inspec-
ton pick out fifty pupils from each who
gave indications of being undernourished.
Those chosen at the Clinton school were
measured and weighed and from that time
on were served one meal each school day,
during the noon hour, at training table"
The food consisted of bread and butter or
Jelly, milk, soups ana vegetables. Al tHe
Everett school the children were also
weighed and measured, but there was
special feeding. Public health nurses. how
ever, called at the homes of the children and
instructed the parents what to feed them.
Emphasis was placed on mo tea or coffee
Canvass of Schools Showed
5000 Undernourished Children
An official canvass Of the schools showed
that about 5000 children were undernour-
ished. Such conditions had long existed
and were known to the Department OF
Health, but it was only when the number
reached such appalling figures that Health
Commissioners Vaughan deemed il neces-
sary that the Board of Education should
know of them Three thousand children
said DR.. Vaughan, were bordering on dis
ease result of undernourishment and
required medical attention. He urged pro-
vision in the 1921-1922 budget for feeding
them properly. II was then recommended
that immediate physical examination of all
the public school children be made under
the direction of Dr. George T. Palmer, city
epidemiologist.
The real purpose or the test, said Dr.
Palmer was to ascertain the cause of mall
nutrition among the thousands OF school
children. He said it is the hope of the
Health Department to learn whether physi-
cal defects faulty diet or lack of food is
mainly responsible.
OF the children selected for the s'fed"
group six had been drinking milk twice
each day and eighteen once a day, three
had cocoa at least twice a day and the
other twenty-three had neither milk nor
cocoa. Eight Were given but two meals a
day.
Coffee was a very popular drink among
the children. Five drank il three times
day. hine twice and nineteen once. Twelve
drank tea at least once in three meals
Only ten had cereals for breakfast, three
fruit thirty y-eight bread Toast and grid
die cakes were chief breakfast items, and
eleven had meat and eggs. Green vege-
tables were sadly lacking at all meals With
in the last two months many homes with
children have given up coffee and are now
feeding the youngsters more milk custards
and cereals.
throughout the period OF Scientific feed
ing" both groups were weighed and meas
ured every two weeks. but as was predicted
at the beginning. the bulk OF the gain was
made by children Of the fed" group--those
at the training table" Nearly all the chill
dren at the Everett school, ranging from
TO II years Of age, are OF foreign born
parents, and there also IL small percentage
&C negroes.
At the end-of the fourth week IL was
found that the fed" children at the Clinton
school had gained materially in weight
while those of the Everett school showed
falling off. But at this period the econ
trolled' children began 4 steady gain. AT
the end of fourteen wecks-the period Of
the test--the fed group had gained an
average of two and four tenths pounds. and
the controlled" group, one and four-tenths
pounds This latter figure represents the
expected Gain.
Milton Fein, husky youusster Of 5, was