The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-03-17
THE HEALTH CENTER
Conducted by Viola Hahn. Public
Health Nurse
The Growing Child

The Growing Child
A series OF articles presented to
the readers OF this paper by the
United States Public Health Ser
vice, the Maryland State Board Of
Health and the County Health
officer.
Protect Your Child Against
tuberculosis.
Health authorities have agreed
that the control of tuberculosis de-
ponds primarily on care of the health
Of children. More and more the,
have found that it is in childhood
that the seeds of tuberculosis are
PLANTED. Prior to the year 1882
no one knew what caused tubercu
losis. In that year, however, DR.
Koch, the famous German scientist
discovered a very minute germ
which he called the tubercle bacillus
and which he demonstrated was the
cause of many differents forms o.
disease in various parts of the body
Study of the tubercle bacillus show
ed that it grows best in dark, mois'
places, and that bright sunshine
easily kills the germs. Experience
has also shown that while no medl
cine which one can buy will cure
tuberculosis, yet the disease may
often be entirely arrested if thu
patient lives in fresh air, eats goot
food and gets sufficient rest.
There is one simple rule to follow
which will make it very unlikely
that tuberculosis will lay hold OF
YOUR child. In fact, by following
this rule children will be protected
against many other diseases. The
rule is:
KEEP STRONG. If you keel
your body we'll and strong it vii
fight off the germs of the disease sc
that they cannot harm you. AM
there are some smaller rules tt
make you keep strong:
1. Always breathe fresh air
Never sleep, study. work or play in
room without window open.
2. Eat nourishing food and dripi
plenty of pure water. Avoid foot
that is hard to digest, like heavy
pastries. Never eat or drink any
think that weakens the. body.
8. Make sure that every thins
that you put into your mouth i
clean. Wash your hands always be
fore eating and battle your whole
body often. Clean your teeth ever!
day. Do not smoke.
4. Exercise every day in the opel
air. Keep your shoulders straight
Take many deep breaths every day
If you wish to be a crusader
against this orge and wish TO keel
your city healthful, you must try t
keep well yourself.
Not long ago the teacher in one o
our city schools noticed that dell
cate child of ten years was coughing
a great deal and growing pale ant
thin. The school doctor examined
the child and found that she hat
tuberculosis. After visit from tn
school nurse, the parents consented
to let the little one go to a sanator
ium in the country. Here she hat
the right kind of food, and plenty o
fresh air night and day. At nigh
she slept in a cozy bed out on tn
porch. She stayed there six month
and then returned home rosy-cheek
ed plump, happy, and strong. TIT
fresh air did it all.
Now that she is back in the city
she attends an open air school. II
this school, even in the coldes
weather in winter the windows ar
kept wide open. This gives ever.
child plenty of fresh air and you cal
see by their fine red cheeks and theil
erect and sturdy bodies that it doe
them lots of good. There are nov
over five hundred open air schools
in the United States. Some o
them are for children who hav'
tuberculosis: others for childre'
who are run down in health an
likely to get tuberculosis. TIL
open air schools help them to grow
strong so that tuberculosis can't ge
a hold on them. Such scnoc.s are
blessing and we should have man,
more of them. All of US need
great deal of fresh air to keep u
strong.