The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-06-29
CHILD DEFECTS
OUGHT TO BE
REMEDIED EARLY
Conference Of Social Workers Give
Children's Year Program
at Milwaukee

Milwaukee, June 29.-The need of
early correction of defects as shown
by the somewhat astounding results
of the draft examinations and the ma
ton wide interest in child health
aroused by the Children S Year Pro-
gram are the outstanding causes for
the growing interest in child health,
Dr. Ada E. Schweitzer, Of Indiana
pclis, told the National Conference Of
Social Work here today.
Dr. Schweitzer is director of In
FAINT and Child Hygiene of the Indi-
ana State Board OF Health.
The number of states having di-
visions of Child Hygiene in 1918 was
eight" Dr. Schweitzer said BY 1921
the number had increased to thirty
eight. Legislative authority for the
establishment of Child Hygiene di-
vision has been supported by appro-
priation in all except two or three
cases In general, appropriations for
this work vary from $500 to $125,000.
"A general purpose and plan of
work is common to all states. Each
seems to have adopted certain mini
mum standards of care for Mothers
and Children and each is trying to ed
ucate the general public and to Sc
cure the establishment of its stan
dards in all the communities under its
jurisdiction. The working plan OF
the older divisions, especially that of
New York State is the bisis of that OF
many other states.
I'm several states, the law forbids
persons affected with communicable
1 a
ion for the enforcement of such laws
is for the most part inadequate. The
pratection of society generally against
the parent-h0od of the unfit needs to
be given serious and intelligent con-
sderation. A predominance of de-
generate and feeble minded persons
in any community is by no means de-
sirable, yet unless stringent measures
are undertaken, will in some places
be inevitable. Connecticut, Colorado,
New York, and Indiana are working
along these lines.
Funds for research on Child
Health problems is 20 be undertaken
by state universities are being pro-
vided incidentally the better edu
cation of farmers is having reac-
tionary influence in rural districts.
Scientific farmers are demanding
scientific knowledge of child bearing
and rearing.
The outgrowth CT this movement
ir the establishment Of general elm
les, eye clinics, vision conversations
classes, dental clinics, tonsil and ade
mold clinics, physical education and
orthopedic clinics, open air classes,
a1s Inv C1, liz
lunches, classes for retarded children
and now on the rate of intelligence
tests New York and New Jersey have
undertaken practically all this work.
Illinois is specializing in orthopediG
clinics for crippled children, but in
clude many other of these institutions
in the larger places. California and
Ohio have done much. In Indiana,
the work is not uniformly distributed.
In all the school work, full time
nurses and physicians are needed,
but much is being done in many pro-
grassive communities without such
service because of the difficulty of
procuring trained workers. South
Carolina and Mississippi are sending
nurses to be trained in public health
schools. The practice of holding
model health conferences is yielding
most satisfactorily results, in New
York, Massachusetts, Kentucky, North
Carolina, South Carolina, California,
Texas and Indiana.
Colorado through its health CEN
ters is caring also through the COM
munity group for delinquency. tru-
ancy, recreation and other things af-
fecting the health of the children. The