Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-03-02
DR.. BLAIR SPENCER
n Methods of Keeping Physically Fit


HEEPING children at proper weight
~ warding off their most dangerous enemy
disease, and carrying on that nrac,T'
through the years Of pArcntho"d. l"ct tn'
in>diolis foe steal march on ihr ,mmIN
overnight. is one of tn" big Jobs for I'hlIn
JrInhiHms Interested in social service. So
declares Dr. Blair Spencer, medical auIIS"
Of tho Philadelphia Health Council and lu-
hrr,uloSiS Committee and formerly physician
in chief of the Department OF N"'tar''
'''rhc work Of any effective health "rGanl'
Z0tiou should 500 to it first of all that every
child is physically normal when Ii" enters
S,houl, " says DIR. Spencer. III" must Keep
up to the standard all tn" tim" II" Is III
school. and aftrrwurd every man and woman
in th" community must h" I'i |" hH"" an"
practice the principles of GOOD h"aIlh'
Il have found in our work in the public
schools in co operation with th" Board "l
Education, that children los" Il great d"aI oi
time from school in having physical d"lCclT
corrected which should have been r"m'dI"a
hcrur" the children started I" Srh""'' y
great deal Of good work can be done among
rh" Riddles who have not yet started on wv
trials Of primers and pencils and spelling oS
examining the children in the forty day nur-
series Of til" city.
'Arrcr the children enter school thcX
should practice and thoroughly ,ndrrStanG
the principles Of keeping welt. ! hay" found
the modern health crusade an effective way
Of doing this rs the children find real fun in
srruhhiug their ncckS and ears ana l'"th
when there ar" badges and positions "i honor
that 90 with each five weeks OF keeping 'h'
rules.
Ct 900 Children Enrolled
"rhc Health Council has enrolled more
than Gl .OUO Of Philadelphia children in the
crusade against disease. Health work must
be made attractive to children il th" best re-,
suits are to b" achieved. DramatlrS appeal
to children, and health work Will make
AM fsIil lilI
seen or taken part in n plnyl"t which t"tS
forth the idea Of keeping we'll. The work of
the health tairirS has interested many Of I'll"
children Of III" city in matters Of hcaIl h.
'''rhr adult side of health work j. tmpor-
tant, too. bUt if children ar" taught how to
keep well when they ar" young In" problem
Of grown-ups j. much less serious.
"Whrn our young p""pl" 60 10 work in
store, or offices they cannot disregard IN"
need ur " uhol">omc food. with plenty of green
produce Whcrrvrr available at prices within
rrurh The, must learn to drink plenty of
water. not making the mstak" Of thinking
that one glass Of litha water is as good rs
six Of plain. Thcy must TAX" regular CX-
orri~r uutd"ur, if possible. at Least in thor.
ougnIy Ventilated rooms, every day.
"Amd Iu,l but not least, every store,
office ard factory should provide ample lava
tory facilities, including individual towels,
~ that nj mcultmCs cleanliness may make
the convey Hucr of infections through dirt
''Ecw propl, realize just what big task
is set in fighting the one disease, tuberculosis,
in This city.
"philudrphiu' q, tuberculosis mortality sta
ti~tir~ show Il slightly higher death rate than
Nrv York. Vet tuberculosis is prrN"mtuhlr
and in Il large ma i0rity Of cases CuruhlU, do
pending ON how early discovered and mt"lli-
gently treated.
,'I.u us take one particularly pathetic rus"
Of where the tight was lost in the old. old
way by Il father who began treatment too
late. We hroIghr him hOm" from n sHua
torium. h0prI"~sly tub"rCuInr. In his back
yard little open air hospital was started.
for the ~uh" ui his wife aud llttI" girl lie
Weeks and m"rIfulIy Simpliticd our problem.
next vicrmh for III" disease, Sh" expected to
become mother soon. On th" SO week
which her husbands kindly employer had
given her She had been hardly able to got
the food she needed. We gave her additional
money. and when the landlord threatened to
throw her and her little girl out we got some
one TO buy the huusc and relieve her Of this
worry
''Thr house was thoroughly fumigulcd nd
the room in which the father had lived was
rrutrd out. \, il was insisted that she my
hark tho umuum loaned her, she bravrIy
started in tu do washing to pay this back
udcr the circumstances, we found this far
from advisable II was handwriting her in
her tight to ward off disease and bring n
healthy child into the world. She was given
instruction in diCtvthS and taken 10 a ma
iprnity hospital, although she worked up to
the day her child was born. Examination
proved that she had not yet contracted tu-