Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-11-17

Hygiene ASSOCIATION voted TO aInai-
gamate with the Child Health Or
~ganization of America, following
| similar action previously taken by
combining is now being carried
through. Thus in one body will be
combined the whole national volun-
teer effort seeking to improve the
health of American children.
Will Enter New Field
Since the Child Hygiene Associa-
ton has concerned itself almost ex-
clusively with children under one
| year of age and the Child Health
Organization has dealt with chill
dren of school age. there has re-
manned the province of the pre-
school child which has been I'm
touched.
The new combined organization
Xpects soon to go into this field.
1t is important territory, too, be-
cause in the pre-school years are
developed the defects found so pre-
yalent among school children. A
vast amount of work is needed in
this field to secure proper dental
treatment for children who need it
but do not discover their need I'M
til they start to school, to secure
also better nutrition for children Of
these years, and to combat the con-
tagiouS diseases of childhood.
Those at the head of the new organ
lzation believe that the epidemtcs of
measles, whooping cough, and other
maladies now regarded as newt
able for children can be much bet
ter controlled.
Originally the work of the Amer
lean Child Hygiene Association was
quite technical, and the organiZa-
ton relied largely upon physicians
in need of correct training, but now
its scope is far wider. Besides its
research and it's technical studies,
the Association now works directly
upon the population through its own
local branches by setting up health
centers and distributing its litera-
ture written for popular reading.
One of its main efforts has been to
encourage the establishment of
child hygiene bureaus in the state
boards of health. In 1917 there
there are AT. These child hygiene
bureaus conduct educational work
among doctors and nurses, check up
local milk supplies, and look into
housing and sanitary conditions Of
homes.
Statistical Work Extended
The most conspicuous piece of re-
search work conducted by the As
ISOLATION is its annual survey of in
FAINT mortality. This survey is stead
lily growing in scope. The first one
was made in 1919. when the infant
mortality in 269 American cities
was studied. In 1920 the report
covered b1s cities. The 1921 sur
vey, which has only recently been
completed, embraced 57S cities, in
which live more than 4~0.000.000
people. Thus the report is by far
FAINT mortality in the United States.
One significant point made by the
report is that the larger the city.
as a rule the lower its infant death
rate. Cities of from 10000 to 25.-
600 population showed a death rate
of 1913 per thousand: the largest
cities-those of over 100000 popu-
lation each-showed as a group an
infant death rate of only 75.a per
thousand.
The Pacific coast cities make a
splendid showing in the survival of
their infants. Portland, Ore, with
ing the lowest infant death rate in
1921 of any large city in the coun-
try. The three large cities having
the lowest infant death rate are all
on the Pacific coast-Portland, San
Francisco, and Seattle. Pittsburg
is shown to have had the highest in
FAINT death rate in 1921 of all large
American cities, followed closely by
Kansas City and Buffalo.
In the second group studied -
cities with populations ranging from
100, 900 to ESQ, 000-three western
| cities, Oakland, st. Paul, and Spo-
kane again lead with Memphis, Fall
River, and Scranton showing the
highest rates in this group.
The lowest infant death rate in
any of the cities studied. regardless
of their size. however, was found in
an eastern seaboard community -
East Hartford. Conn. with an in
FAINT death rate of only "a per thou
sand. This may be contrasted with
Dunsmore, Pa, where the rate was
1876.
President Harding, Secretary
Hoover, and DIR. Emmett Holt the
famous child specialist, are among
those interested in the new child
health organization. A large pro-
portion of the funds which enable
the organization to conduct its work
comes to it in the form of men,
bership subscriptions.