Evening star., 1924-03-16
CARDS EXPLAINED
IN HEALTH CRUSADE
Or. Kober, tuberculosis So
ciety Head, Says Saving Chill
dren Starting Point of Work.

Explanation Of the cards being sent
to the parents of school children,
showing their weight and physical
condition was furnished yesterday by
DR.. George NJ. Kober, head of the
Washington tuberculosis Association,
which. in cooperation with the Dis
trict health department is conducting
the survey.
"In my opinion" said DR.. Kober,
this matter of the physical examina-
to time is the fundamental starting
point for the preservation of health
and the assurance of normal develop
ment and efficiency in maturity.
"Earlier and more accurate discov-
cry of anything that may be wrong
with any part of the body that is the
all-important aim of the medical pro-
'feSsion today, or at least il should be
the goal toward which all our efforts
strive. So long as the general health
and vitality Of the individual can be
maintained at normal standard. any
tuberculous infection will remain
without danger to the individual.
Constructive Measures.
ne uISSoNeTS lndl Il given clllU
is under the normal weight for it's
age and height, considered in con-
nection with it's heredity, should be
welcomed by it's parents as furnish
ing the necessary basis of wise and
constructive measures as to diet, ex-
ercise, sleep, ventilation etc, which
possible m ' Chance se ent,d eond the beaith afS5
throughout lSng life to come.
"In no r1<pect should the notice Of
such uH.derweight be regarded az =
cause OF alarm, hut only as n wise
pUDve environmental conditions.
in its campaign for the prevention
of tuberculosis in the District of CO.
Iumbia-a campaign which has met
the reduction of the death rate from
this disease during the past two
decadeS-the association has empha-
sized perhaps more strongly than any
other feature Of its work it's child
health program. In carrying out this
program, its attention has been fixed
upon the school child.
ThankS to the cooperation given
Its work by the public school authori-
ties, including the Board of Educa-
tlon, the school superintendent and
chelr stan of supervisors, principals
and teachers. WASHINGTON las made
Tor itself an enviable record IN health
education.
I'm 1919 the association introduced
me modern health crusade into the
washington schools. Following the
taking over of the health crusade by
the school authorities, the associa-
zion took the next step by the intro
auction OF nutrition clinics for under
weight children in the schools.
-Four things were emphasized in
connection with the clinic. First was
the Importance of thorough going
physical examination by the family
physician or school physician, to dis
cover and remove as far as possible
any physical defect such as diseased
adenoids and tonsils, which defects
prove a barrier to the child's health
and .c1 normal gain in weight.
Ine second feature emphasized
eration and interest of the parents,
who We're invited to attend the
weekly clinics with their children.
a third feature was the Importance
or proper well-balanced dietary, in
Guiding abundance of milk and leafy
or green vegetables. Fourth was the
systematic weighing and record keep
ing of the progress of the child.
Sets of Weight Cards.
In connection with the weighing
and measuring conducted for the pur-
pose of discovering the children most
In need OF nutrition instruction, the
association has prepared three sets of
weight cards. One Of these is white,
for children of normal weight; one is
blue, for children of less than { per
cent underweight, and one is red, for
children more seriously underweight.
Each card bears this device:
card of white-all right
Gard of blue-won't do.
Card of red--look out ahead.
On the reverse side of the card
are. printed instructions for gaining
and keeping ones normal weight.
These cards have been used in the
schools ever since the clinics were
started and 45,500 of them have been
distributed within the past year,
about a third being the red card.
Last year. for the first time in the
knowledge of the association, cxcep-
tion was taken by two parents TO
what was then the wording on the
red card. This wording was Card
this objection came from so few per-
sons. 1T was thought it might express
the views of other parents ami The
reading was changed as indicated
above, to Card of red--Iook out
ahead
Symbol of Service.
''On these cards is printed the
double barred cross, which is the
symbol of the tuberculosis societies
throughout the country. This cross is
intended to symbolic the health pro-
gram or these organizations, which
have done SO much to promote health
education. AS in the case of the cross
of the American Red Cross Society,
the double-barred cross is a symbol
of humanitarian service and philan-
thropic purpose.
''At the present time many nutri-
ton clinics are being conducted, not
only under the auspices of the Tuber-
culosis Association, but also under
the direction of the teachers of phys
ical training and the teachers of do.
mestic science, all working under the
supervision of DR.. Murphy Because
of lack Of school funds, the Tubercu-
losis Association is continuing to sup
ply the printed material, the asso-
citation will be glad to be relieved
of the expense.
Meantime the testimony of mem
bers of the parentteacher associa-
tons who have co-operated in this
work, the satisfaction of parents who
have seen the improvement in their
own children or who have been led to
discover unsuspected physical but
remedial defects because of the physi-
cal examination given in connection
with the clinic, and the favorable
opinion of the teachers and principals
of the schools as well as school doc
tors and nurses, all go to show the