Perth Amboy evening news., 1924-12-04
HEALTH STATUS
OF. 7 HIS CITY
Data Given by DR.. Palmer
Following Comprehensive
Survey by 3 Experts
BEFORE THE LIONS CLUB
City One-t third Down List
Tells What Can Be Done
for Betterment

DR.. George Palmer of the Ameri-
can Child Health Association of New
York City, in an address at the reg
ular weekly luncheon meeting of the
Lions Club today, showed where
Perth Amboy stands in the matter
of public health, when compared
with eighty-five other cities of SIM
ilar size. The data given at the
meeting was that obtained in q COM
prehensive survey carried on by
three experts over a period extend
ing from January to June. The
as yet and the data given at the
luncheon will probably not be given
much publication for some time yet
to come. DIR. Charles S. Thompson.
local health officer and secretary of
the Board of Health presided
The eighty-six cities, including
Perth Amboy, in which the survey
was made were located in eighty
one states and the population of
each city was above the 10000 mark.
Perth Amboy stands on the border
line between those who are at the
I top of the Mist and those of the mid
die. third. In other words Perth
Amboy is about one-third down from
the top.
DR.. Palmer congratulated Perth
Amboy on its dental clinic work;
welfare work among the babies;
birth registration work; in which
the city is listed at ninety-six per
cent; the good milk supply, ninety
per cent of which Is pasturized; the
diphtheria immunization work.
These DIR. Palmer said is what has
raised the city's standard so high
in the survey.
Those things which have kept the
city from reaching the top and which
must be overcome are: The playing
up of popular health education. More
health news should be published in
the newspapers. The annual report
of the health department should be
published and distributed so that the
citizens could receive a better under
standing of what Is being accom-
plished. Better records should be
kept of all health matters.
He declared the medical examina-
tions in the schools are too rapid.
Under the present scheme for exam
ining the scholars thirty are exam
ined an hour. This number should
be cut down, DR.. Palmer declared,
anu IhC W ~ n oOAiO AibOk . tAtOh OoS htJ
as it is impossible to properly ex-
anime thirty children in so short a
time. Through the examinations in
the schools children are protected
against blindness and other troubles
that may come up in later life.
There should be greater prenatal
work in the city. DR.. Palmer said,
in order that deaths due to child
birth be reduced.
In order to ascertain how the
children lived the fifth grade pupils
in the public schools were given an
examination in all of the cities. In
Perth Amboy 4S1 answered the ques-
tions. The majority of the fifth
grade pupils here declared they went
to bed at 9:07 o'clock each night
This was at a later hour than those
of many of the other cities went to
bed, thus the other tcities stood
higher in the question Of sleep for
fifth grade children.
The fifth grade examination here
also showed that the children of this
city drink more coffee than any
other city in the other eighty-five.
The drinking of coffee, DR.. Palmer
said, prevented the children from
drinking milk and milk is needed
more than coffee by the children as
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