The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-05

as much colitis~ and Intestinal dis ease is prevalent--those diseases which are so fatal during the second summer, and which are ascribed to the fact that milk and other food Is not properly safeguarded
 Only One Department
 The nursing division is only one de- partment of the public health service. It does not include sanitary work, food inspection, milk department or division of vital statistics. These are other things for which the public is indebted daily to the unsparng zeal in their efforts put forth by Mrs. Echols pr. Bowling and other em- ployes entrusted with this health task.
 The nurses employed by the city at the present time are Mrs. Alma Murphy. who is a pre- natal expert, her district being West End. Miss Vir- ginia Cox, Miss Ann Sutherland, Miss Louise Cherry, Miss Erin Mum, Miss Helen Stockton and Mrs Margaret Brisbin. who is in charge of the venereal clinic.
 The history of the nursing division is interesting. In 1917, Miss Ellen Guilty was employed by the Inde- pendent Presbyterian church to visit the sick poor in their homes. Her work particularly was to .care for babies and instruct their mothers in their care. Soon after Dr. Bowling was employed. Miss Quiltys salary was taken over by the city depart ment of health. Then fund for sup
 plying milk and ice was established | this to furnish babies in families where 1t could not otherwise be pro- vided.
 l Communicable Diseases
 The following year a nurse was en- gagged for the communicable disease division, which gives the inoeulations against typhoid, and to demonstrate the care and methods of prevention In cases of communicable disease. Two colored nurses to give instructions and nursing care in negro homes were added in this division. They particu- larly specialized on sore eyes of new born infants with such success that not one of such little babies lost their sight The precentage of children | with sore eyes decreased about 60 per cent almost immediately after the law was passed requiring the instil- lation of silver solution into the eyes of the newborn, and after the limi- tation and supervision of mid-wif | practice.
 Then Miss Guilty resigned and Miss Elizabeth La Forge, formerly, with the infant welfare division of the city health department of Detroit, was em- ployed as supervisor of the child hygiene and public health nursing bu- reau. So great has been the need, five districts for nursing service for | -..t | negroes have been developed
 In the words of Miss La Forge: "The division has acted as @ visiting nurse. association to the sick of the community who are cared for at home l in the absence of such an organiza- ton in our city. The four permanent mothers have called them, schools for mothers, are used as places where mothers bring their babies and child- ren under school age for examination and advice from some of our best pediatricians, who give their services. Learning Properly
 "One wee undernourished little chap now drinks quart of milk day
 because the doctor at the school house told him to. and school house doctors know everything.
 "The, need for instruction is ap- parent at every hand. One day not so long ago nurse went into the home of foreign mother and found wee baby sucking banana Now, bananas are soft indeed for toothless little mouths. but are mighty hard on tiny stomachs. The nurse remon : strated and the mother responded, Oh. all the bambine. she lika banan.' However, repeated efforts on the part of the nurse resulted in this mothers s attendance upon the school for moth- ers,' and she is an apt pupil. Among the foreign mothers. it is not an uu- common sight to see cup of milk Gone knows not its origin) set on a chair beside the baby's crib, and a