Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-06-11
Nutrition Work
Is Progressing

The Nutrition Glasses in school No.
9 carried out under the joint direc-
ton of school authorities, Woman's
Club and the MiddleseX County
Tuberculosis League, has become an
established fact and a regular rout-
inc of school procedure.
The twenty-six children have been
given a thorough medical examin-
alton by DIR. London, and of the
| twenty-six, sixteen have enlarged
tonsils-thirteen have teeth defects
and five have heart conditions. In
addition to these a number have de-
formities of the spine and large GER
vical glands.
The homes of the children have all
been visited aad while the majority
| of the parents do not speak English
| huently and some not at all, CO.
operation has been splendid. The
%children's teeth have all been clean
ed at the City Dental Clinic and
| other defects of the teeth are being
| given attention. Where parents are
/ unable to provide for removal of
tonsils, special arrangements are be-
| ing made for the removal at the City
Hospital.
All of the entire class have gained
| somewhat since the class started
and the milk and crackers have been
| given. Some of the children have
gained as much as four and five
pounds. The children are all called
from their regular class rooms at ten
o'clock in the morning to the class
room of Miss Lucy Woglom where
they receive their milk n cracker.
The milk is sem early in the morning
feed and in half-pint bottles from
the Woodbrook Farms directly to
the school. The children pay for the
milk and the strawS and crackers
| are provided by the Woman's Club.
| The children are all weighed every
Thursday morning by a worker from
the Tuberculosis League and Miss
Woglom.
There is much competition at the
weekly weighing among the children
as all are greatly interested in the
| prize offered by the Woman's club
to the child who has gained most in
| weight at the end of the school term.
Mr.. Letter, Principal of the school
has arranged an attractive poster
display in the nutrition class room
and has held special conferences
with the parents of children in the
class.
The following is a quotation from
the Woman's Home Companion
showing that nutrition work in
schools Is not only a local problem
but n which is arousing the at
tention of the entire school world:
According to newspaper reports,
the new health commissioner for the
city of Peoria, Ill. DR.. j. Z. Furst-
man, has decided that there has been
too much weighing and measuring of
children in the schools of that city
and little has been accomplished
as a result" therefore has recon-
mended that this practice be dis
continued because it has caused
much worry to parents" The board
of education unanimously approved
the recommendation of the commits
sioner land many parents who have
been concerned because Johnny has
not been gaining in weight as the
teacher said he should can forget
these things now!" (The italics are
ours.)
is there not an old-time tale a.
bout an ostrich finding satisfaction
indisposing of trouble by getting
MS eyes under the sand where he
cannot see what disturbs him? How
long before this movement to relieve
parents of worry will require them
not to weigh babies for fear of worry
that they are not gaining properly,
nor give them milk because there
is some discussion about p~asteuriz-
alton? Vaccination is another cause
or worry. VIII it, too, have to be
given up to quiet troubled parents ?
1t is an accepted medical fact that
loss of weight or failure to make
a steady gain is not only one of the
earliest indications of many serious
diseases of childhood, but also that
the weight curve is one of the most
reliable sources we have of a child's
development and growth.
Weighing and measuring has been
pronounced by our leading child
specialists as the best single test Of
the child's condition known to the
medical profession-yet this health
commissioners apparently considers
the health of the growing child Of
so little Importance that he is will
ing to discontinue so simple a meth
Cd or obtaining accurate information
regarding the condition of a child.
simply because there is some dis.
cussion about standards.
10 safeguard the health of anv
community. 1t is not only necessary
TO wage an aggressive fight against
disease but also to take ADEQUATE
measures to arous and inform the
public in the prevention of disease"