Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-07-06

health and of the necessity for its constant
supervision and maintenance.
The school system of teaching the pupils
throughout the country the importance of
health is an excellent one and Is bringing
good results. Their plan Is to develop a
program to teach health to the children and
to carry this teaching throughout the entire
school course. 1t is n thoroughly practical
method. spectacular method is used in
the beginning of this course, but it has been
found that the children lose interest in these
spectacular methods after a certain age and
the educational authorities are developing
system more serious in character In the
later years of the course.
The federation now centers it's attention
upon that neglected group Of children COM
monty designated as children Of pre- school
age. Roughly, this means children under
six years of age. But, going back to the very
beginnings of this problem, 1t means su:
pervision OF the mothers and the training OF
potential and prospective mothers to the re-
sponsibiities of motherhood and carrying
this education through birth. then through
tho infancy of the child and up to the time
when the child enters school.
Mothers Co. operate Heartily
One of the most encouraging signs when
the federation has observed in it's work in
Philadelphia is the more than hearty CO.
operation OF the mothers, especially in the
region in which the first health center was
II
family moved into the block, we never had
TO look them up, after the work Of the health
center began to become known. Invariably
other mothers either brought the children OF
the new fnmily to the health center for eI-
animation or told the mother of the child
about its work. At any rate the new chill
dren whose parents moved into that block
| speedily found their way to the health center
and one OF our worst problems was auto
matically solved All mothers soon realized
,hat fh, hnult tLoi, ~
| dren.
Another interesting development of the
health center was that many of the families
| moved away from that vicinity. Living
conditions in that vicinity are not all tha5
| they might be, and one of the things taught
by the health center is the duty Of parents 10
| hnd the best homes for their children that
| lie within their means. Parents were con
| stnntly urged to find better homes for their
| children and themselves.
| They evidently took us at our word. for
it hnalIy came to the point where we lost
! twenty nine families from one block. be-
cause on advice from the federation they all
moved to better parts of the city where their
children could have advantages impossible
where they were.
| The reason for the concentration of Of.
fort on the health of the child of pre- school
age Is that it is during this period that
health habits are formed 1t Ia the time also
III,
when most of the infectious diseases of
| childhood develop and when under nutrition
is more likely to happen. 1t is much wiser
to get the child during this period and correct
! any damage that may have been done rather
than to try to repair injuries after the child
| has entered school
After the school age has been reached
ma nutrition is far more likely to be observed
and recognized than before that age because
in the school years the schild is under better
! supervision.
The School Problems
but the problems of the school years are
really those created during the pre-. school
period some years ago when ] was serving
on committee to look into the DhysicaI
conditions of children in industry. Dir Cor
NELL also serving on the committee made a
wise and obSeryant remark. lie said thut
II commission would devote its attention
to the health of the child of Drc- school non
the problem of the school physicians wonIj
be reduced to a minimum.
The ultimate end Of the federation is n
maintain the child in health and turn hin,
over in as nearly perfect physical condition
as possible to the school authorities. Bui
the great problem Is to educate the public
at large.
The matter of under nourishcd ,hiIdro,
has long been appreciated by three groI,ns
outside of the medical profession, these bring
the Department of Health. the schooI NJ, .
thorities and the nurses organizations. Thcy
nave bccn 20 impressed by what we hny,,
accomplished that they have asked the chiLl
federation to undertake the training in uutri :
tion work OF the municipal nurses the nursci
of the Visiting Nurse Society and the s,hnnl
nurses.
s"This' course win bcgiu IL the n,,,,0,
and will be attended by abe 100 nu,srs'
$4,000 sss ~ PERSONS. Ssss W ''P"' : about
49,. "a --- I'VE .-.--