Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-12
EDWARD T. HARTMAN
On Ideals Of Health Promotion

On Ideals OF Health Promotion
NTNliE Spectacular changes IN tranSpOr-
l. tation methods brought about by the
automobile and the airplane have been little,
If any, more noteworthy than the changes in
social work during the same period of time,
according to Edward r. Hartman, managing
director Of the Child Federation.
THE change has been noteworthy in that
It Is no longer quite fashionable TO pray for
q continued crop of the needy in order thnt
the noble work of relief may be unabatcd.
1t is no longer quite fashionable to consider
relief of the needy as the most basic work
to be found
''Thc belief in the wonderful value of case
work (tO the case workers. is giving way
to the belief that We could forgo these
values in several directions if we could aboI'
ish the cause The mastery of tuberculosis
has been q great human accomplishment,
though only potential, but there are already
those who would fOrg0 the accomplishment
in return for world which had never
known tuberculosis.
"Ihis comment shifts suddenly from So
ciu work TO what Is called medical work.
There is II reason. The emphasis is shifting.
And on the medical side there is going on
rapid Shift from the palliative to the pre-
VCntivc and from the preventive to the con-
StruCtivC.
Health Basic Everywhere
"ThIs Shift is due "a n realization OF the
fact that health is basic, Ms basic in social
work a> il is in war, or industry, or rit!-
Hcnship, And the trend in health work is
due to the increasing recognition of til" i'm
pOrtlnc" OF health promotion aS distln-
guishcd from curative and preventive work.
''Thrr" is no assumption that curative and
preventive work Is unimpOrtant. There j.,
however, reason for definitely promoting
health and for not ignoring all questions re-
lNting to health until cure is needed. or
It,tI al Th tt,tA Alrtu t,tn
that We arc forced To try to prevent 1t.
"Thc economics are on the side of health
promotion 50 are the results; 50 are our
human" instincts. when we once come to see
tn" bearings Of all the related problems.
"'Th" mother does not ignore her child till
II is ready for the Juvenile court, the in
san" asylum or III" hospital. IL she did sh"
would be depending on curative work. She
would b" following the too common prcCc-
dent Of our cities and states.
"Nor does tho mother spend her life
trying 10 keep her child from the Juvenile
if she did she would be doing preventive
work.
"What tn" normal mother does is to
nouriSh tcurh mold. promote. Great" to
tn" end that her child may grow into per
feet manhood or w0mnnhood. This is the
"OnStruCtv" method. 1t Is travelling hope
fully toward something. IT is not running
f"arfully from something or wc"pingly trying
to undo a damage which might have been
easily avoided,
Real Promotion Program
"a health promutiOm program, therefore,
il not an ambulance ut the foot of the Cif!
nor yet II fence at the top of the Cifl. Its
supporters really cnvisage new highway
of life which Is rs far us possible from the
cliff ii may ultimately be across the broad
and SAT" uplnndS whcrc sickness, accident
and crime arc much more rare than at
present.
"Thc chief items in II health promotion
campaign are prenatal care, mouth hygiene
mental hygiene, social hygiene, nutrition,
housing, play, physical training. health
clinics, health nursing, industrial hygiene
adult recreation and, finally, health eduCa-
ton, whirI covers many less definite items
1T Is not necessary to discuss these
| items. They ar" all important, and it is
unSaf" to depend upon any one of them or
any group less inclusive than all of Them
| Every person or organization Interested in
| one Of them must b" interested in all of
| them One may specialize, but one may not
! dispurag" the work Of another who Fpeciul-
| iHcs in another field.
"Fh"Nc items ntrrlnrk. For instance, the
! mouth hyg"nst will be- Interested in rhr
| prenatal period and IN the nutrition and
| general health Of the prospective mother
| during this period: especially if she will re-
! call that the enamel Of the Temporary teeth
! and even Of a few Of the permanent trrth
! is formed before Tia" birth Of the child The
texture Of this enamel viii Inrgrly drnrud
| upon the care Of the mother
! "ThOse who believe In what is called pre-
ventive health work tan expression which |