The Washington times., 1921-07-13
Urban Dwellers Far
Healthier Than Rural
Cousins, Says Doctor
Green Fields and Fresh Air Can't
Compete With City Advan-
tages, His View.

II you want your child to be
healthy don't send him to the
country. -
If yos are considering packing
up your effects and moving to
the country because you think
there in the green fields and fresh
air, where there is milk just from
the COW, and fresh eggs just out
of the hen loft, your child will
have the greatest chance to grow
up into healthy manhood or
womanhood-you are cherishing
an old-fashioned view.
II is not the country boy who
is the healthiest, but the boy who
has been brought up in the city
on asphalt pavements, ETC., and
he has the greatest chance for
good health.
UPSETs OLD THEORY.
This. ls what DIR. Hubert Work,
newly elected president OF the
American Medical Association and
First Assistant Postmaster General
claims. In an address before the
convention of the association In
Boston recently ne told the phys.cians
that city boys are healthier than
country boys. He declared that conn
try districts no longer produc3 the
most virile men.
The country cousin who ussd to
be held up as a model Of heath to
the anxious mother in her efforts TO
stir her puny city boy TO exercise
and strengthen his musclcs-is 70
longer. He will no more hu the
-. Of h.a III
boy won't have TO listen to that same
old cry of his mother, Now, IL YOU
want to be strong like your court:y
cousin"
URBAN ADVANTAGES BEST.
X II isn't that getting up at 5
o'clock In the morning and milking
the cows. and feeding the pigs and
watering the horses, and feeding
wearin' overalls and getting sun
burnt isn't just as healthy as II
used to be.
II isn't that eating corn cakes
every morning for breakfast and
steslin' an occasional watermelon
from Farmer Jones' patch and get
ting licked isn't just as good for
the liver as anything.
The beautiful sunrise that floods
the woods, the ducks in the pond,
the majestic cornfields and grand
sweep of country and mountains off
i'm the distance are just as good for
the soul as when Adam and Eve
were first let down in the scenery.
It's this" began DR.. Work. The
city affords more sanitary living
conditions than the country. There
are really three distinct reasons why
the city boys have a greater chance
for IA ha
"In the first place. as ! said, the
living conditions are more sanitary,
medical attention 10 more prompt,
and there are greater medical facili-
ties. Those are the three reasons.
Are the asphalt pavements, the
CRIME and noisy din OF the average
city. such that they afford greater
opportunities for health than the
average farm with it's abundance of
fresh air, milk and fresh country
eggs7" DIR. Work was asked.
Is a hot asphalt pavement or street
more conducive to good health than a
nice, dusty country, road7 Are choco-
late milk shakes more nutritious than
a glass of fresh country miIks Is play
ing tag on the city streets and back
lots healthier than ducking in the ole
swimmin' hole? Is playing baseball
tennis, and other city games more
strengthening than taking the cows to
pasture and feeding the pigs? Are
they, really?
EMPHATICALLY, YES.
DIR. Work wrinkled his brow, and
then he said: II should say yes. Sta.
tistics show that there is a greater
proportion of healthy boys among the
city groups than the country ones.
And that is the answer.
There are more doctors in proper.
ton to the population In city than
in a farm community. There are
lac, 900 doctors in the United States
and over half of them are city phys.
icians. This means that II Is hard to
get a doctor In the country The
farms are usually extensive and the
doctor must lose much time in getting
about.
Now in the city there is doctor
convenient in almost every neighbor-
hood, IL not several. and the sick child
may receive attention promptly. The
Doctors proximity enables him to
keep the child under close observa.
ton. The country doctor may be
Just as efficient and scientific; his
education is no doubt practically the
same. but he lacks the facilities of the
city physician" continued DR.. Work
And that leads me to the third
reason the city boy is healthier. There
are greater hospital facilities here.
And the children receive medical atten-