Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-10-05

GhILu nIUlENc AOSN
PLANS IN MAKING
Washington. D. c., Oct. 4-The ba-
by is coming into his own and the
stork, whose duty from time imme-
mortal has been to bring tiny bun
dies of happiness and cheer safely to
earth, is glad.
While the stork always has been
ready to do his part, however, others
have been bit lax in taking up
where he leaves off, with the result
that many-far too many-of his
precious little bundles are lost
What brings cheer to the heart of the
stork now is the fact that great ma
tional gathering Of men and women,
trained in their work and represent
ing every section Of the country, is to
meet in Washington this month to
focus the attention of an all-too- busy
world on the question of carrying on
what he, the stork, has begun.
In Continental Memorial Hall, in
Washington, made famous by a re-
cent conference which sought to abol-
ish weapons Of warfare and death
among men, the American Child
Hygiene Association will hold
it's annual meeting this month
as a step toward bringing about
the abolition of q menace far
more dangerous to mankind than
warships or poison gas-the igno-
rance which allows thousands of lit
tie children and their mothers to die,
when they might be saved.
The average American baby--de-
livered c. o. D. at the door-has just
about ninety-three chances out of a
hundred of growing into a fat, rosy
checked, lisping youngster year old.
His mother, who plays an important
part in the stork performance, has
ninety nine and a fraction out of a
hundred chances of living to care for
him. That is one way to look at it.
But every year there are approx
mately 100000 babies born, and of
this number, about $4,000 die before
they are a year old. while 10000
mothers perish with them.
Herbert Hoover, secretary of COM
merce, who is president of the Ameri-
can Child Hygiene Association, says:
eff we could grapple with the whole
child situation for one generation, our
public health, our economic efficiency
the moral character of our people
would advance three generations in
one"
The American Child Hygiene As
ISOLATION, which has been in existence
thirteen years, has seen the infant
mortality rate for the United States
decreased by forty-two per cent in
twelve years. Is this generation to
see further reduction?
Through cooperation with other ma
tional organizations. government
agencies and it's $50 affiliated socie-
| ties, the American Child Hygiene As
ISOLATION is stimulating and encourag-
! ing active measures throughout the
| United States, for promoting the
| health of mothers and children. Its
members, and the delegates from all
parts of the United States, Canada,
Europe and Latin America, who will
meet in Washington this month, are
urging every community to adopt for
| its program in child hygiene work a
| platform which will assure:
% That conditions be fostered
which will secure for the child it's in
| alenable right to be we'll born and to
| have the care of it's own mother.
(2) That every mother shall have
suitable advice and adequate super
vision before the birth Of her child,
and proper care and attendance at the
time of birth That the eyes of the
newborn shall receive special atten-
| ton.
(3) That more complete and exact
vital statistics be kept. That early
and accurate birth registration be
urged.
| (4) That every effort be made to
| impress upon the whole community
the supreme Importance of breast
feeding for the sake of both mother
and child.
60 That every child of pre-school
age shall be carefully watched and
protected from improper care, and
| that the earliest signs of physical de-
| fects be detected and corrected before
| serious harm is done.
(6) That all defects found or de-
/ veloping in school children shall be
| remedied as soon as possible.
CD That no child shall be allowed
| to work for gain at the expense of his
| health or education, and that no child
under sixteen years shall be employed
for gain unless he is sound in health
and physically fitted to perform the
| work to which he is assigned.
(S) That every medical student
---1>1TI.>